The First Experiment
by Blackwolfhunting
Summary: The Bio-Lizard in truth wasn't the first attempt at a perfect life-form. The first one was created a good ten years before Shadow's own creation, but failed due to complications. Now after a good fifty some years, the first true experiment of Dr. Gerald Robotnik makes its reappearance and stuns all those involved. Now if only we knew what was going on with Sonic and his siblings.
1. Beginnings

Chapter One

Beginnings

**Sixty Years Past: Onboard the Ark**

The air was stale and dull as a figure walked through the hallways of the space colony. A smile on his face as he walked through the hallways and doorways, heading to a specific place and knowing what was awaiting there for him. He couldn't wait to see how he had developed since he had begun work on him, he wanted to see his creation full grown and out of the pod he was frozen in at the moment.

He grinned when he finally walked into the lab that he had claimed for the project. Though it was the first of many he had begun working on, it had turned out almost perfect and would be known as the most powerful being in the universe, if not the most perfect. He walked up to the pod and stared at the figure standing at the bottom of the pod, no longer having to float listlessly in the liquid now that it's leg muscles could hold its weight, even in the water.

"It has taken ten years to get you to this stage of the process. I must not be hasty and release you too soon or you will expire before you even leave the genesis liquid. I refuse to ruin an almost perfect creation." The man said as he put his hands behind his back and smiled at the creature. "Soon, you will be released and you will help me create the perfect being." He said as he looked at the monitor and froze in surprise.

"Well, this is highly unexpected. I thought it would take several more weeks before you were done." He continued to say before he began to type on the computer system next to the pod. "Guess I can release you now. I'm so happy, I'm giddy with excitement." The man said as he hit a final button and watched as a light purple colored liquid entered the pod and covered the creature inside. The water began to drain and the creature lifted its head up to look at the man before him.

The man smiled warmly as he covered his creation with a towel and began to dry him lightly. "Welcome to the world and to the Space Colony ARK…. Boom."

The creature tilted his head to the side and gave a small smile. "Thanks for the welcoming Doctor."

**Present day: Green Hill Zone**

The moon was out and the sound of crickets filled the air. Waves crashed against the nearby shore, creating music that mixed into the sounds of the night. An owl hooted and a wolf howled. The sounds of the trees moving with the breeze made the sounds of the running rabbits scurry and the restless birds huddle into their nests.

Though the night wasn't all quiet.

A figure moved from the forest's edge and onto the cliffs, where the water crashed relentlessly and furiously, the wind picked up and the sounds of animals became quiet as the figure stopped at the edge of the cliffs.

"Been a while since I really played this." The sound of the male voice said as he held up a crystal pendent in the shape of a guitar. Clear and light, the figure lifted it into the air before him and tapped it lightly, lighting the crystal in a bright blue light. Slowly, as if sluggishly and tiredly, the form of a three handled electric guitar could be seen, purple with several yellow markings on it as it took form.

"Definitely been a while." The figure said as he took the guitar into his hands and began to play it.

xSomedayx

Far away from the dark figure, in a white theatre, two figures moved to set several speakers and sound systems up. Moving as fast as their bodies would allow, the quickly set the system up and hooked up their instruments, ready to test the systems out.

"So sis, what should we, like, play tonight?" The green one said, a red vest covering his shoulders and chest with a pair of baggy tan pants. White gloves covered his peach furred hands as he twirled a drumstick in the air, tapping his green drums lightly with the other one.

Green spikes erupted from the front of his head, almost falling into his face and hiding away his bright blue eye. Three earrings adorned his left ear and his right eye was sealed shut, three claw marks running through the area.

"I'm not sure Manic; it's been so long since we last played." The pink hedgehog said to her brother, sweeping her long pink hair behind her ear, putting her purple gloved hands back to the keyboard in front of her. She wore a purple mini skirt with black stockings to cover her legs. A red tank top that was purple halfway down. Her purple eyes shining with sadness. "It's been so long, we haven't played since he left." She said as she kept her eyes on her keyboard.

The boy, Manic smiled sadly at her as he got up from his drums and walked over to his sister, wrapping her into a tight hug as he held onto her. The girl turned in his arms and buried her head into his chest, hiding her tears from the world.

"Don't do this to yourself Sonia; you know that he did this himself. He chose to leave us here with mother. You know how he is anyways, he can't slow down or he'll go mad." Manic said to his now identified sister Sonia.

Sonia chuckled weakly as she wiped her eyes dry, nodding her head. "Yeah, I know, but I can't help but feel that he needs us, though he'll never admit to it." Sonia said as she turned back to her keyboard, just about to play a note on it when a sound reached her eyes.

Sonia's eyes widened just as Manic's did, both looking towards each other in astonishment. "Please tell me I'm not just hearing things?" Sonia asked as she listened to the sound of a guitar strumming steadily to a song that she knew well.

"If you're hearing things, that means I am too!" Manic replied as he ran to his drums, Sonia began to play her own notes on her keyboard as Manic joined in. Soon the song of the very first song they had done with each other began to play and they were transported into the place where they always went when all three of them played together.

_There's somethin' missing, something not quite right_

_And I can feel it callin' to me every night_

Sonia's and Manic's eyes filled with tears as the voice of another they hadn't heard in a long time sounded in their eyes, filling the room with a ghostly echo. Sonia opened her mouth as a beautiful sound came from the ghostly figure in front of them.

_A little voice inside tells me someone is out there_

_And I must never give up searchin' everywhere_

Manic hit his drums with more passion as his sister picked up the pace. In front of them, where they could see the ghostly figure stood too began to play stronger and more passionate as the sound of their music lifted into the air.

_Someday_

_We are gonna be together_

_Someday_

_Life will be so much better_

_Someday_

_We will build a bond no one can break._

They could feel that bond too, still there and beating strong as they played, now moving with the beat. Neither noticed a figure sitting in the seats, watching with teary eyes as they focused on the apparition in front of the other two hedgehogs.

_Someday_

_No more dark clouds above_

_Someday_

_United in the light of love_

_Someday_

_The story can only end one way_

_We'll be together someday._

The figure swayed softly, as if moving with the wind around them, their feet shifting slightly as they continued to play the song, unaware that they were being watched by more than two people at that time.

The figures guitar became louder as they played their solo, suddenly moving with swift movements, as if in battle, still playing the guitar as they moved and danced, as if following the will of the wind. The three watching couldn't believe how well this person now moved, never have seen it before.

_Someday_

_We are gonna be together_

_Someday_

_Life will be so much better_

_Someday_

_We will build a bond no one can break, yeah._

Sonia looked down at the keyboard that now glowed a powerful pink, lighting the room suddenly. It was as if the keyboard itself could still feel the bond she held to the figure in front of her, as if the musical instrument could still feel the power it had when all three were united together.

_Someday_

_No more dark clouds above_

_Someday_

_United in the light of love_

_Someday_

_The story can only end one way_

_We'll be together someday._

Manic's drums also began to glow, but of a bright green instead, vibrating as he continued to hit it. He could feel the power it once truly held return to its body, strengthening him as he continued to play the instrument. He could feel that maybe, truly, for the first time in years, he would get to see the figure that stood in front of him again.

_Someday_

_We'll be together someday!_

They said the final lyrics that they had played before, the much more matured and beautiful sounding voice quieted as it finished playing the final cords of the song. Sonia and Manic came from around their instruments and walked forwards, standing much closer to the figure then they had been before.

Both smiled sadly as they noticed that the figure had hardly changed except in height and length of the spines. The figure still held onto its guitar, strumming aimlessly and hopelessly, looking as if they were looking up at the moon or something else entirely. "Long time since I actually played. Wonder if they heard me?" It said after a little bit, still strumming aimlessly.

"We can hear you Bro!" Manic yelled as he reached out to the figure, stopping just before touching; as if afraid it would suddenly disappear. Sonia had burst into tears at the statement, sobbing hopelessly as she watched the figure continue strumming.

"I miss you guys. I hope your all right back there with mom; after all, I left you there in New Mobotropolis without a word." It continued, their quills waving in a wind the present could not feel themselves. The figure raised their face to the sky above them and closed their emerald eyes. "Too bad I'll never see you again. I'm about to lose everything, including this." They said as they looked at the guitar.

Sonia and Manic both looked at the guitar too and were horrified to see it begin to crack, as if smashed against the ground several times. The cracks were quickly spreading, consuming the guitar entirely. The figure chuckled as it watched the guitar.

"I'm so sorry you guys, mom, Jules, but I couldn't keep my promise." It said as the guitar continued to crack, pieces beginning to fall off. "I couldn't hold myself back. I tapped into it and now…it's too late to turn back now. I'll have to live with the life I've chosen. Guess this means you'll need a new guitar man sibs." The figure said just as the guitar transformed into crystal and then shattered.

"NO!" Manic and Sonia yelled as the figure disappeared in a wisp of mist, the shattered guitar pieces glittering on the floor before them until, they too, disappeared in wisps of mist.

Sonia fell to the ground and sobbed as she looked at the spot where her brother had stood before her, swaying beautifully with the music as they played. 'Why did this happen?' She asked herself as she hit the floor in horror and sorrow.

Manic was just standing stunned, unsure how to react to what had just happened. His drumsticks held loosely in his hold, his eyes fixed on the spot where his brother had stood, where he had disappeared, where he had just watched their brother literally shatter into pieces as his soul finally darkened into what they had feared for a very long time. Manic wasn't sure what to do at that moment.

The figure out in the stadiums finally stood up, silent tears falling down their face as they walked up to the stage, to the two saddened teens. "Stand up Sonia, you are a princess, dignify yourself as one." The person said voice strong as they came to stand in front of the two.

Sonia looked up into the sapphire eyes of her mother, the woman wearing her customary white dress with golden belt and gold tiara, red scarf wrapped around her neck, long purple hair flowing down her back. Sonia nodded as she took her mother's white gloved hand and stood back up, wiping her face as she looked towards her mother for strength.

Queen Aleena stood in front of her two children, seeing Manic snap back into reality quickly as she stared at him for a long moment. Once they both had their attention on her, she nodded her head and smiled gently and encouraging. "We seem to have lost one of our own." She said as the two teen's eyes saddened.

Aleena smile widened as she turned around and began to walk away. "I think we need to go and remind him just who he is and to reinforce that promise he made to us to long ago." She said, looking over her shoulder to her children.

Sonia and Manic looked at each and grinned as they turned back to their mother. "Yes, we'll pack right away." They said and quickly tapped their instruments, putting them into crystalline form as the apparition's had been before, now hanging around their necks.

The teens ran in front of their mother and out of the theater, both grinning at the thought of seeing their brother again.

Behind them, Aleena exited the theater as well, hands behind her as she walked slowly and then coming to a stop as she looked up at the sky. "Soon, my son, they're on their way. You will be saved. Just please, please, wait for them….Sonic."

xPleaseWaitx

The figure sighed as he looked down at the pieces of his guitar, well, the last of his shattered guitar. He stood there staring at it sadly for many moments before finally taking a deep breath and turning back to the forest. He walked for several minutes before picking up speed and running into the forest head first, dodging all the trees as he went.

He didn't have much time left; he would wake up soon and would wonder where he had taken off, which he didn't need. He sped up, breaking the sound barrier easily, making it to his destination in a snap.

He smiled as he looked at the simple cottage in the middle of a small green field, nothing else in site. His smile saddened as the faces he had been thinking about earlier entered his mind. He'd have to get back to his normal self before the sun came up, he didn't need to worry the one that was inside.

He sighed and opened the door and closing it as quietly as he could, taking his red sneakers off before actually stepping all the way in and setting them to the side. He tiptoed in the cottage carefully, avoiding furniture and the rug that tended to bend over slightly whenever it could. He came to the one room that held his beloved and entered it silently, looking over at the figure curled in the bed, covered in a red comforter.

He couldn't really help but chuckle but was silent as he crept over to the bed and crawled into it, pulling the blankets snuggly over him and curling into his lover's arms. He let his eyes fall closed tiredly and sighed contently as he snuggled even further into the black hedgehog's embrace, which curled around his waist comfortably.

He never noticed the slightly opened crimson eyes staring at him groggily as he fell deep asleep; the crimson eyes following close behind.

xCottagex

The sun rose slowly and happily, lighting the country side with a warm glow, awakening the birds and the animals surrounding the area. The flowers soon opened up and reached for the sun, wanting to get as much as they possibly could.

At a particular cottage though, a black hedgehog yawned and woke, blinking his eyes several times to get rid of the blurriness there. Once he could see fully, he looked down in his arms and smiled at the person there.

Shadow the Hedgehog, known for being mean, grumpy, ill-tempered and just plain evil, smiled down at the light that was all good. Shadow had taken forever to find the one he had been searching for since the death of his beloved Maria, had found someone to help heal him. Shadow chuckled to himself, remembering how he had almost killed the hedgehog in his arms when he returned.

It had been when he had been allied with Black Doom, no memory except faint traces, and willing to do anything for revenge against those who had killed the blonde girl. Shadow had a lot to owe to the one in his arms at the moment.

Who was now deciding he too needed to wake up for the day.

Shadow watched as the loving emerald eyes opened up and stared at him sleepily but happily. "Mornin Shadow." The other male said with a yawn, blinking his emerald eyes to help wake himself up.

Shadow chuckled and ran a hand through the blue fur as he too responded lovingly. "Morning sleeping beauty, nice to have you with the waking world." He said as he let the blue hedgehog out of his arms and sat up in the bed. "We should get up soon Sonic, I'm sure you don't want to miss out on your DJ gig today." Shadow said as he looked down at the still sleepy hedgehog.

Sonic hummed softly as he buried his head into Shadow's stomach, breathing in the musky scent as he did. In truth, he didn't want to get up; he'd only been asleep for what felt like minutes when it was actually three hours. He just wanted to bury himself in his blankets and sleep the day away. Unfortunately though, Shadow was right, he did have a DJ gig today so he could have some extra rings.

He sighed as he finally let go of the warm body and sat up in the bed, stretching his arms out and then stretching his spines carefully. Once he was sure he wasn't about to poke anything with a stray spine, Sonic jumped up and out of bed, padding across the room and heading for the bathroom. He stopped just outside the door and stared at Shadow, who was still in the bed, giving the ultimate life form a flirtatious look.

"You coming or what, slowpoke?" With that, Sonic disappeared into the bathroom.

Shadow grinned as he raced after him in a hurry.

xSlowpokex

"Dude, like where do we start?" Manic asked as he looked at his sister, driving the old van. The big yellow old van still ran like a beauty, thanks to Manic keeping maintenance on it all through the years, even the Sonic Underground logo was still on it, looking like it had just been put on.

Sonia sat right next to Manic, holding onto the sides of her seat as tight as she could; Manic still hit every pothole on the road without trying. "First of all, avoid the potholes! This is insane, four years of driving and you still hit every little thing on the road!" Sonia said as Manic hit another pothole, sending Sonia flying against her seat belt.

Manic smiled sheepishly as he finally began to avoid the potholes. "Sorry sis, I just can't seem to break that habit." He said as the ride began to smooth out. "So where are we going to start first? We have no idea where to start, let alone where Sonic is." Manic said as he avoids a tree in the road, driving around it smoothly.

Sonia had her hand to her chin, thinking about all the adventures they had been on with their brother and where he might've gone to afterwards. She suddenly smiled as she thought of one person who might know where her brother was.

"How about we pay a visit to Angel Island Manic. You still have your Temperboard on here?" Sonia asked as she turned to her brother, who now also had a smile on his face.

"Of course, I even have an extra one you could use dude. So you think it's really time to visit old Knucklehead?" Manic asked as he took a turn, a floating island soon coming into focus.

Sonia crossed her arms over her chest and smiled as she thought about the red Echidna. "I wonder who Knuckles is with now."

xEchidnax

"Hey handsome, how's my emerald today?" The red Echidna growled as the bat landed in front of him, smiling coyly as she did. "So, how is my emerald?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

Knuckles chuckled at his girlfriend, surprised she went for him first instead of the emerald this time around. "I'm good Rouge, but how have you been, you just got off of a three month Mission, didn't you?" He asked worriedly as he began to check her over, to make sure she was alright. "You're not injured anywhere, are you? If you are, you know I can heal you in a snap." He said he looked her in the eyes.

Rouge chuckled as she hugged him tightly before stepping back and twirling a few times. "No sweet stuff, I'm perfectly fine! No injuries. My mission was just surveillance. Nothing more than that." She said as she walked back to him, hands on swaying hips. "No worries."

Knuckles chuckled as he took her hand and pulled her to the steps of the Master Emerald, sitting her down on his lap. "That's good to know, I didn't want to heal you either way. It takes a lot of power to do that." Knuckles said as he took the swat to the head good naturedly.

"That's mean Knucklehead, now I'm not going to tell you about the van that's heading this way." Rouge said as she turned her head away from him.

Knuckles blinked several times before his eyes narrowed in though. "Did you say van?" He said seriously, his voice tight with strain.

Rouge blinked in surprise at this and stood up, sensing that something was wrong. "Yeah I did; it's heading straight here. From the looks of it too big boy, it has two people inside, but I couldn't get a good look from the altitude I was at." She said and Knuckles nodded, standing up with his own arms crossed over his chest.

"Did it have a symbol on the side of it by any chance?" He asked as he turned towards her, eyes hard with worry and suspicion.

Rouge nodded her head as she picked up a stick and drew the symbol she had seen on the side. Knuckles sighed when he saw the symbol and let his arms fall to his side. "Rouge, can you stay here and make sure Eggman doesn't get the Master Emerald. I'm going to meet these people on land." He said as he walked away, not waiting for Rouge's reaction or answer.

Once he was out of sight, only then did Rouge react. "Um, okay then." She said as she turned to look at the giant glowing green emerald. "All to myself today are you. Well then, how about I give you that polish I promised months ago." She said as she pulled out jewel polish and began to work.

xMasterEmeraldx

Knuckles hit the ground hard, slamming his fist into the ground and creating a crater ten times bigger than him. Effectively stopping the van in front of him. He looked up at it, smiling in remembrance, remembering the adventures he had had gone on to save a chaos emerald from Eggman long ago on the van.

He frowned though as the two people he knew that were on it, stepped out and walked towards the edge of the crater, looking down at him from at the top.

"Knuckles!"

"Hey Knuckle Head, long time no see." Both figures called down to him, he stood up straight and crossed his arms, walking out of the crater and stopping in front of the two hedgehogs he hadn't seen in almost five years.

"Sonia, Manic, what are you two doing here?" He asked seriously, eyes glistening with curiosity and worry. Though the worry wasn't noticeable unless someone knew him really well. "It's been almost five years, why have you shown up now of all times? And Manic, what happened to your eye?" Knuckles asked as he finally noticed Manic's messed up eye.

"Ah, well nothing really, but its fine, nothing major happened and we're here because we want to see our brother." Manic explained quickly as he ran a hand over the scars on his face.

Sonia nodded as she looked at Knuckles, sweeping her long curly hair behind her shoulder. "Manic is right Knuckles. We came to ask you where Sonic is. We thought that if anyone would know where he was, it would be you. You two got along great back then, we though you would still get along now." Sonia said as she looked at Knuckles with long lavender eyes.

Knuckles growled as he turned away from them. "Follow me to Angel Island and I'll answer some of your questions, though I don't think you'll like what I have to say." He said as he began leading them. Manic and Sonia watched him for a moment before following, leaving the van off to the side of the road for now.

"So, what do you think Sonia, think he'll know where our bro is?" Manic asked as he pulled out his drumsticks and began to twirl them, nervous about the conversation they were about to have with the red Echidna.

Sonia shook her head as she crossed her arms, biting her lip absently before answering. "I don't know Manic, but Knuckles is our best chance at finding him. If we don't I don't think the whole of Mobius will survive it." She said as she thought about the parting of the three.

"We'll find him Sonia, I know we will." Manic said as he patted her on her shoulder. Sonia nodded great fully and looked up to see that Knuckles had stopped and was looking at them.

"You need to grab my hands so I can take you two up with me." He said gruffly as he held his hands out to them. They nodded and took his hands willingly. Knuckles looked at them one more time before looking up at the air and taking flight.

The two hedgehogs gasped in surprise as they looked at each other and then at Knuckles in surprise. "Whoa dude, since when could you fly?" Manic asked as he looked down and gulped at the height they were already at.

Knuckles chuckled as he glanced at Manic. "A little while after the defeat of Robotnik. I had to once I found out that I didn't have any more planes on hand." Knuckles explained as they flew pass clouds and birds, coming to the island and landing softly on the ground. Sonia and Manic nodded, Sonia running her hands through her hair, fixing it softly.

"I see, well, that's cool. I never thought someone could fly without some kind of machine." Sonia said as she followed Knuckles, who had started to head into the forest, Manic not too far behind.

Knuckles nodded and the walk through the forest was quiet the rest of the time. Manic was messing with his drumsticks again, drumming them on passing rocks and trees to keep himself busy, Sonia was braiding her hair and tying it up so it was out of the way, and Knuckles had his arms crossed again, thinking about what he was going to say to the two hedgehogs behind him. He wasn't sure since both were incredibly intelligent, just like their brother and mother are. It was going to be hard to convince them to leave.

They arrived to the sight of a bat polishing the Master Emerald, which was glowing a much brighter green from when Knuckles had left twenty minutes ago. Knuckles palmed his forehead and turned to Rogue as she smiled down at him. "Rogue, what are you doing this time?" He asked as he walked up to the Emerald's shrine, stepping up the steps and eventually in front of Rogue.

Rogue put the polish and rag in her hand onto the ground and spread her hands in front of the emerald with a wide smile. "I'm polishing the Emerald. It needed it and it looks like it enjoys it very much. I mean look at how much brighter it looks since I polished it Knuxs. It looks so happy." She said as she twirled in the air, squealing slightly and flapping her wings happily.

Knuckles laughed lightly as he watched her, shaking his head. A cough to the side though froze him and he turned to the two hedgehogs he had brought with him. Rogue blinked as she looked at the two. Her eyes widened and she full out screamed. "Oh no! There's two more of them! Knuckles what am I going to do! I can hardly run away from one of them let alone three!" She yelled as she looked at the two hedgehogs with fear.

Knuckles sighed and rubbed his head as he watched his love freak out. "Don't worry Rogue, these two don't have Sonic's speed. They're as fast as we are though." He said in a placating tone, hoping to calm her down from her fit. Rogue gulped and nodded her head as she looked at the two.

"Then who are they and why did you bring them here?" She asked as she turned to the pink and green ones standing in front of her. "And why do they resemble Sonic?"

Knuckles sighed and then coughed to clear his throat as he pointed to each hedgehog as he named them. "The pink one is Sonia and the Green one is Manic. These two just so happen to be the children of Queen Aleena and the siblings to our blue blur." Knuckles said.

Rogue looked at the two in surprise and then back to Knuckles who nodded his head. "Oh My God! I'm in the presence of Royalty!"

xSiblingsx

Far down on Mobius and at one of the many beaches, Sonic looked to the sky, away from a surfing Tails and Shadow. "I think I just heard Rogue screaming again."

xSurfingx

**Fifty five years Past: Space Colony Ark**

"Doctor, she's fallen again." The man turned to look at his creation that was looking at him in fear. "She's fallen again Doctor and I have no idea what to do!" the creature said as he looked at his creator. The Doctor nodded as he stood and motioned for the creature to take him to the She that he had mentioned.

The small creature nodded and grabbed the Doctor, hightailing it out of the lab and dragging the Doctor quickly towards the small person that was now laying in the middle of the corridor.

The doctor frowned as he leaned down and picked up the small blonde girl off of the ground, cradling her gently in his arms. "Oh Maria, what is wrong with you my child?" He asked the small three year old girl that was now sleeping fitfully.

The Doctor turned to his creation and nodded. "I knew making you Maria's watcher would be the right choice. Good job Boom." Doctor said as he began to walk away with the small child. Boom nodded his head and followed, just as worried as the doctor about the small girl in his arms.

"Maria, please be alright." Boom murmured softly as he watched the Doctor and Maria walk into the medical bay where he was not allowed.

xMariax

**A.N. alright, first Sonic the Hedgehog fic and for those who don't know who Manic and Sonia are, they're Sonic's siblings from Sonic Underground. It's a really good show and I'm going to run with that show for this, though it'll have Sonic X mixed in as well, since the Sonic in Sonic Underground is actually younger than Sonic X is. At least I think they are. **

** But anyways, I don't own Sonic or Sonic Underground or the Songs from Sonic Underground. Such as 'Someday' of the Sonic Underground. Check it out.**


	2. Reuniting Siblings

Chapter Two

Reuniting Siblings

**Fifty five years Past: Onboard the Ark**

The Doctor couldn't be any happier than he was at that moment. His creation was near perfect. He couldn't help but laugh giddily as he pressed the button to the stop watch in his hand. His creation had just run around the Ark fifty times in less than two minutes. For this to happen, the creature had to be running over the speed of light. It was highly amazing and amusing at this point.

"One minute forty five seconds. A new record today Boom. You have made great progress." Doctor said as he patted the small black creature on the head affectionately. "You seem to get faster every day, not to mention you seem to be eating less. Is something wrong?" The doctor finally got to the subject he wanted to talk about.

This was absolutely true. Boom usually ate copious amounts of food to fuel his metabolism that burned through everything. Mostly due to the fact that the creature could run faster than anything else, he even seemed to be able to beat the lights as they turned off. Doctor looked at Boom worriedly as said creature looked up at him in confusion.

"I don't know what you mean. I only ate so much at first because it was the first five years. Now that I have a more basic handle on my body and its functions, I can now live more off the Chaos energy in the air. Just like you designed me to do in the beginning Doctor. Wasn't that a part of your plans? Did I do something wrong?" Boom asked worriedly as he looked at the Doctor in fear.

Doctor blinked several times before shaking his head and looking at Boom in surprise but happiness. "No, you have done nothing wrong Boom. I just didn't expect you to do that for another year or two. But now I don't have to worry about it anymore. Good job Boom." Doctor said as he patted the creature on the head.

Boom's nervous and scared look instantly vanished as he took the praise in and nodded his head happily as well. Though both stopped at the sound of a stomach growling. Doctor looked at Boom with a raised eyebrow and Boom couldn't help but laugh nervously. "But I still haven't made the transition completely, so I do still need food." He said as he looked at the Doctor apprehensively.

Though he was worried for nothing. Doctor smiled lightly and nodded. "So let us go and get some food then. I'm hungry as well; I heard they're serving chili dogs today too. Sounds delicious." Boom smiled and caught up to the doctor and walked with his creator. He couldn't wait to eat with the Doctor; it was always a new experience to. Maybe Maria would be there too, if she wasn't in the infirmary again. Boom's smile left him at the thought of the blonde girl.

xTransitionx

**Present day: Shadow's Cottage**

Shadow growled when he heard the knock on his door. He had just gotten back from the beach with Tails and Sonic, from surfing and building sandcastles to help Sonic relax a little. Though the blue hedgehog and point blank refused to get anywhere near the blue water, saying he'd bolt the second he saw Shadow coming at him. Shadow had left him alone to sunbath after that.

But now, Shadow wanted to take a nap before he had to report to the G.U.N. Headquarters to get another mission. He had bills to pay after all, but he still wanted a nap before he went and that damn knocking was wrecking his attempts at such.

He growled again as he sat up and stood up, heading for the door, ready to send the annoying person at the door flying if they continued on with their knocking. He was annoyed and tired, two things that never really was a good combination for Shadow, Sonic had learned that once and had left the black Hedgehog alone for several days before returning with a chocolate cake in apology.

Shadow ripped his front door open, chaos energy in hand and ready to throw at the person but froze when his eyes landed on three figures. One he knew instantly, Knuckles the Echidna with his serious attitude and his arms crossed as usual. Nothing new there, especially since Shadow had seen the Echidna only a few days ago to get information on a chaos emerald.

But the two that stood behind him confused him greatly, in fact, enough to where his chaos spears died in his hands and his crimson eyes locked on the two figures that now stood in front of his door with the Master Emerald Guardian. "Who the hell are they?" He asked rudely as he crossed his arms, glaring at the two defiantly.

The pink Hedgehog stepped up, reaching out a purple gloved hand for him to shake, that he didn't bother glancing at, still glaring at the girl. She chuckled nervously as she moved her out stretched hand to move hair behind her ear and then smoothed down her already smooth purple pants. "Well, I'm Sonia the Hedgehog. I've actually wondering…Um….if…..maybe…." She trailed off as Shadow's glare intensified on her.

The green one with the red vest and tan pants sighed and stepped forward, twirling his drumsticks. "Dude, cool it. We're not here to hurt anyone; we're just looking for our brother." He said as he looked Shadow in the eyes with his one blue eye. "Our friend Knuckles here said you might know where he is." The green Hedgehog continued as he twirled his drumsticks, but now in a more threatening way.

Shadow grunted and shrugged. "I might know who you're looking for, but I, in no way, am required to tell you." He said as he leaned against his door frame. "But you might as well tell me who you are green one and who you are looking for." Shadow said, eyes narrowing as he finally noticed the resemblance the two had to each other and just little bit of resemblance they had to another hedgehog he knew of.

The green one growled and glared at Shadow as he gripped his drumsticks tightly in his hands, which one was heading for the round medallion around his neck. Shadow's glare went from threatening to curiosity. He had seen a medallion similar to that one somewhere before but was unsure of where he had seen it.

The girl, Sonia, grabbed the boy's hand and lowered it away from the medallion and turned back to Shadow. "His name is Manic and he's my brother. The one we're looking for seems to be known just about everywhere here in Mobius. I'm sure you've heard of him." She started as Shadow's gaze moved to her, or more specifically, her necklace. It was rectangular in shape and had what seemed to have Keys on it, like for a keyboard or piano.

"I might have, but you have to tell me who you are looking for first." Shadow said, his gaze going to Knuckles and questioning the red echidna with his eyes. Knuckles only shook his head and turned away, glaring into the distance, as if this whole thing displeased him greatly. This alerted Shadow that something here wasn't going to make him happy either.

Sonia looked at Manic who nodded at her and she turned back to Shadow, taking a deep breath before looking him in the eyes with calm and patience. But Shadow could tell that she was ready for a bad reaction and maybe she was ready for a fight. "We're looking for our brother, Sonic the hedgehog."

The clearing was deadly silent as Sonia and Manic waited for a reaction both having their hand on the necklaces they wore around their necks. Sonia gulped as she watched what seemed to be heat rise from the Black Hedgehog in front of her. She was now seriously scared. She wasn't sure what this hedgehog could do or what he thought they wanted with Sonic, but it was obvious that he thought it was bad.

"You're lying." Shadow whispered as he stood up and glared at the two in front of him. "Sonic doesn't have any siblings. He would've told me if he did." Shadow said as he walked towards the two. Both siblings took their own steps back, Knuckles was already far away and hiding away in a tree.

"We're not lying dude. We just want to find our bro." Manic said as he began to walk further back. His drums were of no use in close combat, it would be up to Sonia to take this dark hedgehog on, and he'd be back up.

"He's right, we're only looking for Sonic because something bad is going to happen if we don't find him and soon." Sonia said, hoping to try and convince the black hedgehog that they were there to help.

Shadow's eyes narrowed at this though as he stopped where he was. Were the two of them here to hurt Sonic? To hurt the one he so dearly loved, the one that helped him heal finally from Maria's death and Doctor Gerald's. He wouldn't allow it.

"What do you mean something bad is going to happen?" Shadow asked in a deadly whisper as he glared at the two.

Sonia and Manic looked at each other again and both lowered their arms away from their medallions. "Sonic destroyed his guitar." Sonia stated seriously, wondering if the black Hedgehog would understand.

It finally clicked in Shadow's mind though why the two medallions looked familiar. They looked to be made out of the same crystal of the medallion that Sonic had shown him once. The blue hedgehog had said that there were two others like his but of different instruments. He hadn't told him where or who they belonged to, only that they were important to his family and that his crystal would someday disappear.

Shadow hadn't understood but now he did. The crystal medallion that Sonic had shown him had been in the shape of a three handled electric guitar. If this girl told the truth and the medallion was gone, Shadow was sure they could explain why it was and why exactly it mattered to them. He still didn't believe that they were Sonic's siblings though, Shadow was sure that Sonic would have told him if he had siblings.

Sonia and Manic blinked as they felt a whoosh of air and saw that Shadow was no longer there. They blinked as they realized that the black hedgehog had moved faster than they could see. They turned to one another and blinked at each other.

"Did you know he could move that fast?" Sonia asked Manic, who just shook his head at her. Sonia nodded and turned towards the trees where she knew Knuckles was hiding. "You could've told us he moved as fast as Sonic you know!" She yelled out to the forest.

Both Manic and she jumped in surprise as a chuckle sounded from behind both of them. "I know, but it was funnier to watch your reaction to it instead." Sonia turned a glare at the red Echidna with her hands on her hips.

"He could destroy us without us even knowing it." She stated as Manic nodded in agreement. Knuckles only shrugged his shoulders and looked back at the cottage.

Sonia sighed as she and Manic too waited for the black hedgehog to return. She looked around the clearing again, admiring the beauty of the place. Wild flowers could be seen and the entire place was surrounded with huge oak and willow trees, all swaying in the breeze that went by. It was truly a beautiful place and she knew Sonic definitely lived here.

She smiled at the flowers surrounding the house; they were purple, pink, green, and blue carnations. Mixed in were other flowers too, such as Zinnias, snapdragons, lady slippers, irises, and many more. But all were in those four colors. Though surrounding the cottage's walls and actually sticking to it were red roses, bright and beautiful, mixed with some white roses. But that was all that was sticking to the cottage walls. Red roses and white roses, all bloomed and very beautiful to look at.

Manic was also looking at the flowers, not missing the colors either and smiling as he thought back to some of their adventures when they were fighting Robotnik. They had risked so much back then and even now, Sonic continued to risk a lot to keep Robotnik in hand and in line. Though it seems that Sonic allowed him to make his robots still and continue to try and take over the world for some odd reason. Manic frowned at that, he knew for a fact that Sonic could have the maniac in jail if he so wished, so why wasn't he.

It was at this moment that both were startled back into reality when Shadow came back, causing another big wind storm. "It wasn't there." He said as he looked at the two siblings. "His guitar Medallion wasn't there. I'm sure it was there last night when he was looking at it." Shadow said as he watched the two's eyes sadden remarkably suddenly.

Sonia sighed as she looked back up at him. "Now do you believe us? We came to help our brother, but we can't do that if we don't know where he is." She said and waited, fidgeting slightly as she did. Manic was twirling his drumsticks again, looking at Shadow with an expectant eye.

Shadow huffed and crossed his arms as he looked at them. "I don't think I told you my name. I'm Shadow the Hedgehog the Ultimate Life form. As for Sonic, I know where he is. I'll take you to him." Shadow said as he began to walk away from the cottage.

Manic and Sonia looked at each other with identical smiles. They were finally going to find their brother and help him out. They ran and caught up with Shadow in an instant, Knuckles not too far behind.

xColorsx

There were several things that Sonic loved. He loved flowers, the wind, running, definitely running, adventures, baths with Shadow, playing with his friends, beating Eggman, and of course Music.

He had always had a connection with Music and he always loved it, playing it, listening to it, and dancing. That was why he had taken a job as a DJ at the Sonic Boom Club. A club that had been named after him and they were more than happy to have their idol work for them as well. Of course, he could come in whenever and get paid when he left. They didn't care as long as he came in and played for them.

So that was why the club was packed at the moment. Everyone had heard that he was coming in that day and they wanted to see him play again. Right now he was at the records, moving them and creating a beat that everyone was moving to at the moment. No one was sitting down and no one was standing still, everyone was doing some kind of dance.

Sonic watched them dance as he continued his DJ-ing and grinned as he saw several starting to breakdance, spinning on their heads, hands, feet, knees, whatever they had practiced doing. Now he was getting excited, so when the song ended, he put on a song he knew very well and jumped down to the floor, several people gasping as he landed in the middle of the crowd.

But then cheers rose as he began to break dance to the sound of 'The Knight of the Wind'. People stopped and stared at him as he spun and twirled around his hands and feet. Many people gasped as he suddenly jumped in the air high enough so he could land on his hands and then push him up some more, kicking his legs in the air, making it look as if he was dancing.

In fact, most of the moves he used on the dance floor were moves he used constantly on the battlefield. The kicks he was doing right now he used to make robots fly into the air where he would spin dash attack them and destroy them as soon as he either had an emerald in hand or a golden ring from tails.

The spins he would use to dodge attacks from the robots when he wasn't on his feet and the hand springs to move far enough away so he could gain speed and attack robots. He used everything he knew to attack robots and to break dance.

Sonic landed on his hands again and lifted one up as the song began to come to an end, grabbing his right foot and extending it as he lifted his left straight into the air. Claps sounded as he stood back up and bowed to the audience who had watched in awe and several of the break dancers had copied his moves as best they could and turned them into something of their own.

Sonic grinned as he jumped back up to the DJ booth and began another song, making the records rub together to get that beat that everyone loved and the dancers began to dance again. Sonic enjoyed this job greatly because he was able to get people to enjoy themselves and let go of all kind of worries. He also loved to watch other people move, mostly because he would get new ideas for a dance or combat move that could be used for both.

He continued to play as the day moved along, some people leaving for work or because they got tired, but the club was still packed. It wasn't very often Sonic would show and play for them and they usually took full advantage of it when he was. He was after all one of the best DJ's they got around, many of the others would stick to what they knew and didn't venture out into different territories of music, but Sonic did.

Sonic stopped instantly though when a chant went around the club, clapping began to go along with it and Sonic was left rubbing his head in embarrassment. "Play us a song Sonic! Play us a song Sonic! Play us a song Sonic!" Now you would think that he would already be playing a song for them, but this wasn't what they meant.

No, Sonic knew what they wanted so he nodded his head and roars filled the air in celebration. Sonic turned off the DJ booth and walked down to the stage underneath, there his guitar was. A special made electric guitar stood on its stand. It looked like a normal electric, but it had spikes on the end of the rounded part, making it look like it had Sonic's quills and it was painted an electric blue with stripes of gold here and there.

The club had made this guitar especially for him, the blue representing his normal everyday state and the gold representing his super state he took when he used the Chaos Emeralds.

Sonic smiled as he picked up the guitar and began to strum it aimlessly as he thought about a song to sing for the people. He needed to pick one before anyone would dance again. He closed his eyes and thought back in the past when he was with his sibs. He knew the song he wanted to play.

Sonic blinked though when he started playing the beginning cords of the song, he could hear a drum. It was playing the beats for the song as well and the hard sound of the song got louder as a Keyboard began to play as well.

_Wake up, what's goin' down_

_That's the sound of freedom_

_Check out this thing we've found_

_That's the sound of freedom_

Sonic looked around the club as he continued to play, he knew those voices, though they were more mature and older. The people around the club were looking around too, not expecting the sound of the other instruments or voices. Sonic normally played alone and with no one else.

_We have battled with our backs to the wall_

_We have struggled to win freedom for us all_

_We have lost so many friends_

_It's important that we win_

_Won't you join us everybody, hear the call_

Sonic growled silently as he took a breath but continued on, ignoring that people were now clapping with the song and dancing again. He continued to look around for those he knew were there, singing along with him and playing a song they had played for a friend long ago.

'_Cause together we can get our freedom back_

_Do not falter we must go on the attack_

_Oh, freedom is our prize_

_Keep it shinning in your eyes_

_We won't bend, we won't even crack_

Sonic remembered playing this song against one of Eggman's robots back in the day. ART had been an Artificial Robot Technology weapon that learned as it encountered opponents. It had come to Sonic himself being captured and held against his will until ART had wanted to hear the sound of music again.

_Wake up, what's goin' down_

_That's the sound of freedom_

_Check out this thing we've found_

_That's the sound of freedom_

_Freedom_

ART had joined them afterwards and helped them destroy several of Eggman's factories back when the maniac had control over all of Mobius. The man had been furious when he learned that his ultimate weapon had joined up with the hedgehogs. Well, Sonic couldn't feel for the man, that was what happened when you gave a robot capabilities of learning, even learning emotions wasn't beyond ART.

_Wake up, what's goin' down_

_That's the sound of freedom_

_Of freedom_

The Song came to an end and Sonic could hear the sound of the two instruments going back into their crystal forms, but then he frowned as the audience began to cheer and clap for more. Sonic shook his head and picked up his guitar again.

Even though he wanted to find the two who had played with him, he had a job to do and he was going to do it, even if it meant playing with them again.

xFreedomx

Sonic yawned as he watched everyone leave from the stage he had been stuck playing as many songs as he could think of for the last five hours. It hadn't helped that the crowd seemed to like having the other sounds of the other two around too. They would not quit cheering for another until the club finally closed at seven and Sonic was let go.

Sonic sighed as he took the bag from the owner that held his payment and walked down from the stage, now looking around for the other two, for he knew they were there. He growled when he noticed two other people though that were standing at the entrance, both had their arms crossed and were watching him stalk over to them.

"Alright Knuckles, I know you know where they're hiding. So you better tell me now or I will tear your head off right now." Sonic said as he jabbed the Echidna in the side. Knuckles growled at him and turned his head away from the blue hedgehog, now very ticked with his friend.

"I'm not going to tell you now. I didn't deserve to be poked that hard." Knuckles said as he walked away from the two pair, rubbing at his sore side now. "I'm going back to Angel Island, I'm sure Rogue is done polishing the thing by now." Knuckles muttered and disappeared out of the club, leaving Sonic glowering at the floor.

Shadow looked at his love with concern and a little annoyance. "You could have told me you know." Shadow said from his place against the wall, watching the fuming hedgehog grind his teeth.

"How was I supposed to tell you about those two!" Sonic asked as he looked at Shadow with disbelief. "Not even Tails knows about them and I was going to keep it that way. I don't need any more attention from the media about my personal life!" Sonic growled and fisted his hands tightly. "They freaked when they found out about us and wouldn't leave me alone for months. I didn't really want that happening with this!" Sonic exclaimed he looked pleadingly at Shadow to understand.

Shadow though was now thoroughly confused now. He didn't actually know why it was a big deal about the two being his siblings. Shadow had wished Maria had still been alive so he could introduce Sonic to her, but he didn't understand why Sonic was having a fit over these two other hedgehogs finding him.

That was until they pounced on Sonic and the owner gasped at the sight of them. "SONIC!"

"BRO!"

Both hedgehogs exclaimed as they pulled him into a group hug, squeezing the blue hero in between them. Shadow watched in amusement as he watched Sonic turn red, blue, purple, and then starting all over again. Shadow hadn't seen that in a while.

"Can't…breath…" Sonic was able to get out and was finally released from the two and fell to the ground and began to crawl away as a scream erupted from the woman that helped run the place.

"Oh my god! Its Sonia and Manic! The children of Queen Aleena!" Cindy the black rabbit cried as she spotted the two, the daughter of the owner of the club. Sonia and Manic both cringed as they remembered why they didn't leave Mobotropolis very often. People who adored either them or their mother usually went nuts.

So when a crowd surrounded the two royalties, Sonic grabbed Shadow and made a run for it, leaving the two hedgehogs behind to deal with the fans of their mother and themselves.

"Sonic! What the heck was that all about?" Shadow asked as Sonic finally came to a stop outside of their cottage home. Sonic was bent over, breathing heavily as he had run as fast as he could with Shadow in tail.

"That would be Sonia and Manic being mobbed and me and you running away while they were distracted." Sonic finally said as he stood straight and looked at Shadow with shadows in his emerald eyes. "How did they even find me Shadow? Let alone you? I thought this place was untraceable." Sonic asked as he looked at his love.

Shadow sighed as he walked into the cottage, Sonic right behind him, and sat down in the living room. Shadow folded his hands together and looked up at Sonic with serious eyes. "That would be thanks to our friend Knuckles. I was about to take a nap before heading into G.U.N. to get another mission when he showed up with those two."

Sonic nodded his head and then sighed as he sat down next to Shadow and leaned against him. "I see, well, looks like I'm royally screwed." Sonic chuckled at his own pun though Shadow didn't get it well.

"So, what's the story Sonic? They told me you and they were siblings. Is that true?" Shadow asked in a gruff voice, still slightly ticked off that Sonic hadn't told him something like this, but he still wrapped an arm around Sonic's waist none the less.

Sonic himself sighed as he reached out and began to play with Shadow's white tuff of chest fur as he got his thoughts into order. Finally he answered Shadow's question after long moments. "They are in fact my siblings. But what they probably told you was half of the story Shadow. I need to explain everything to you before you truly understand why I'm not happy to see them." Sonic said as he looked up into hard crimson eyes.

"Well you better start because I'll skip any missions to hear this." Shadow said as he leaned back into the couch and crossed his arms. Sonic sighed and nodded his head.

"It all starts when I was a baby and an Oracle told Queen Aleena, my Mother, that Robotnik would take over Mobius."

xExplainx

Sonia grimaced as she pulled Manic up out of the manhole, her hair now covered in sewage waste. "I can't believe we were forced into using the Sewage system again! It's so gross down there!" She complained as she rung her hair of the sewage water.

"Hey watch it you're talking about my old home ya know." Manic said as he wiped some grime from his pants and then looked around the town. "Where should we go now?" Manic asked as he looked at Sonia.

The girl put a hand on her chin as she thought about their next step. "Well, if we really know Sonic, then he'll head back to the place he's most comfortable at. Meaning his home." She said with confidence as she looked at her brother. Manic grinned as he pulled a remote out of his vest pocket.

"Got it sis." He said as he hit a red button and the next they know, they're old van is sitting right in front of them.

"Man, I love that teleportation device that Cyrus built in the van for us." Sonia said as she climbed in and took the wheel, Manic climbing into one of the passenger seats.

Manic was buckled in when Sonia finally took off, speeding faster than what Sonic use to do. And Sonic sped a lot. "Dude, sis, slow down, I don't want to be wall art." Manic said as Sonia avoided said wall and continued on to the cottage that she now knew was there.

"We need to get there before Sonic decides to disappear Manic, and you know it. We have no idea where he'll go to next." She said as she swerved and took another path, leading them to the forest of Green Hill. Manic could only nod as his sister continued to steer like a crazy person. "We're almost there, only a little further." Sonia said as she passed through the trees, coming to the clearing in no time.

When they both left the van, they were met my Shadow who stood several feet away from the cottage. His eyes were narrowed with threat and his arms crossed as he held his chest puffed out. "What do you want now?" Shadow asked as he watched the two moved towards him.

"I know Sonic's here. I want to see him." Sonia said as she put her hands on her hips and stared at him. Shadow growled at the tone in her voice, ears standing straight up and his quills standing up as well in threat.

Manic noticed this instantly as he grabbed Sonia by the shoulder and pulled her behind him. "Look dude, we just want to see Sonic. That's all, can we see him now or are you going to quill us?" Manic asked as he watched Shadow's quills lower somewhat.

Shadow kept his glare on his face as he looked at the two. "He's told me everything and I've decided that he doesn't need to see the two of you. Leave." With that Shadow turned back to the cottage and entered, slamming the door in the two siblings' faces and leaving them standing in the field alone.

Manic looked from the door and to Sonia before saying anything. "So now what do we do?" Manic asked as he pulled out his drumsticks again and began to spin them in his hands and hitting them on the air.

Sonia was silently steaming as she thought about her next move and suddenly smirked as an idea came to her. "How about we gather some information on our Dear brother and his friend there. I'm sure we could get what we want if we just ask around." Sonia said as she began to sway her hips suggestively back and forth, heading for the van.

Manic shook his head as he watched her walk away and then looked back towards the cottage. "I hope your right Sis, because I have a feeling that we're running out of time." With that, Manic turned from the cottage and ran after his sister, leaving Shadow and Sonic to themselves.

xInformationx

"That was a close one." A voice said in the dark as footsteps were heard. "They almost got to you." It said as it listened to the footsteps.

"It won't matter either way; they can't stop this once it starts. We know the consequences if it was to be stopped halfway through, we can't risk that." Another voice said, their tone laced with a deep darkness.

The first voice chuckled at this, agreeing fully. "You're right of course. Are you sure you want to do this though, you've lived so long as you are, can you really survive this?" They asked as the sound of more footsteps sounded.

"Of course, I'll be fine, after all, I'll be the one in control, and you'll just join my subconscious. So let's get this started." The second said.

The first chuckled and a dim light could suddenly be seen and what seemed like a thin piece of glass could be seen. Suddenly, two gloved hands reached out to the glass and touched it on either side. The hands seemed to melt into the glass and meld together, disappearing from view up to the wrist.

"So it has begun." The two voices said as the darkness swallowed up the glass and melded hands up.

**A.N. Song is Sound of Freedom from Sonic Underground, I don't own it. I don't own Knight of the Wind either, Crush 40 does.**


	3. Reunion with Eggman

Chapter Three

Reunion with Eggman

**Fifty years Past: The Ark.**

"Doctor! I'm here!" A dark furred creature appeared in the lab, looking towards the man with the silver mustache that flew to the sides wildly. The man was robust up top and was long with skinny legs, making him about six feet tall. The man wore a lab coat with a grey t-shirt underneath and black pants. The doctor had his hands behind his back as he turned to the creature behind him.

"Ah, so you have arrived. I expected you a while ago though, are you getting slow? I don't need to tune you up any?" The Doctor said with a grin and the creature huffed as he looked towards the pod that stood in the room.

"So this is where it'll be created, right? The thing that'll save Maria?" The creature asked as he walked towards the pod, noticing that the pod held a small creature inside of it. The Thing was black with was seemed to be red strips. "This'll cure her of her illness; she'll be able to return to Earth. Right?" The black Creature said as he looked at the Doctor, arms crossed but crimson eyes soft.

The Doctor nodded. "Your right of course Boom, this creature should help Maria, but it'll be a year till it is perfected." The Doctor stood in front of the pod again, looking at the small fetus inside, for lack of better word.

Boom nodded his head as he ran a hand through black quills that had a light blue highlight to them. Crimson eyes turned back to the Doctor, curiosity could be seen in the almost calm and peaceful face. "Will he be able to keep up with me?" A smirk appearing on Boom's face as he looked back towards the creature.

Doctor nodded his head as he turned to several computers to the side and began to type some codes in it. "Yes he will, he will also have the same control over the Chaos Energy and he'll be able to use it in energy attacks. Though how many he'll be able to produce is beyond me. I'll have to test him after he's fully done." Doctor explained, typing more codes into the system, a strange purple liquid pouring into the pod suddenly.

Boom watched as the purple liquid spread and hit the small creature inside, making it move and blink open its eyes. "Are you going to take it out for a few days so you can examine its progress?" Boom asked as he turned back to the Doctor. The older male nodded his head thoughtfully as he pressed another button and soon the liquid in the pod began to drain.

"Yes, I need to make sure all of its functions will work properly or else it will fail completely. Just so you know as well, it is as old as a five month old baby Hedgehog. He'll need to have a warm bottle of milk and a warm blanket. Can you get those for me Boom?" Doctor said and only felt the whoosh of air that singled that Boom had gone to do as asked.

Several seconds later, Boom was back with the requested items, and by this time the baby was being held in the Doctor's hands, wailing in distress. Boom scowled at the noise as it irritated his sensitive ears, growling as he handed the items to the doctor.

Doctor smiled his gratitude and took the blanket and wrapped the black furred baby in it and then took the bottle and began to feed the distressed baby. The baby quieted instantly and suckled on the bottle greedily. Boom looked at it curiously, haven't seen a baby since he himself was created. He was curious about how they acted and what exactly they did.

Doctor saw the curiosity in Boom's crimson eyes and smirked, walking to a nearby chair and sitting in it. He cradled the baby again and continued feeding it as Boom was allowed to have a closer look. The baby had short quills at the moment, though Boom could tell that it would soon have as long as quills as he did, not to mention the child's muzzle was a tan compared to his own white. The child also had a small white patch of fur on its chest.

Boom smiled at the small child as it continued to suckle eagerly and greedily. "So, this little thing will be close to match me in speed in a year, will it?" Boom asked as he looked at the Doctor that was still smiling at him gently.

The Doctor nodded but decided to speak verbally. "That's correct. In a year's time it will be able to do everything you're able to do, but in a more stable way. It will lack some speed and power but it will learn immediately from any experience. Information will be catalogued and his strength will continue to grow through challenges and dangers. It will someday be as strong as your split self." The Doctor explained.

Boom nodded his head as he looked back at the baby. "How long will he be out of his pod then?" The baby had indeed been identified as a boy, just like in The Doctor's plans. Boom blinked as he watched the baby finish the bottle and then open its eyes for the first real time.

Boom was startled at the intensity of the crimson staring up at him. Boom himself also had crimson eyes, but his were of a dull color, this child's eyes were like blood, glowing with curiosity and a sense of happiness.

The doctor smiled at the reaction and thought about it. "I think I'll leave him out of the pod for a couple of days and then put him back so he can continue in that state. I'll take him back out when he's the equivalent of a five year old. Then at ten and finally at fifteen. That'll take a year's time to accomplish." Doctor said as he rocked the child softly. Boom nodded his understanding.

"What will you name him Doctor?" Boom continued as he looked back up into the black glasses of his creator.

Doctor Gerald smiled as he looked back down at the child in his arms that was now gurgling happily.

"I'll name him Shadow the Hedgehog. The Ultimate Life Form." Boom smiled and nodded his agreement.

"A perfect name for the Shadow that'll protect Maria."

xShadowx

**Present**

The seaside was as beautiful as ever and Sonia wished she could go and enjoy the rays on the beach, but unfortunately she was busy gathering the much needed information in the town that Sonic worked as a DJ in. Sonia knew it was the perfect place to get information because this was also the most often attacked place. She remembered it from watching the news and hearing that Sea Shack City was being attacked again by Eggman.

She wasn't really sure who Eggman was, but if he was anything like Robotnik was, then she was sure the man was trying to take over the world and make it into his own sick and twisted way. That was why she had Manic keeping a look out for said bad guy, though they weren't sure what he looked like.

Sonia herself was busy sitting at a table and sipping at a chocolate sprinkle peppermint latte and looking at the individuals walking around town, trying to figure out who her first target would be.

That was when a pink Chameleon walked by her, black arm bands around his wrists that had bandages around the middle, the same around his ankles as well. He wore purple shoes black stripes and the most distinguishing thing about the said Chameleon was that he had a big yellow horn coming out of the middle of his face. Sonia smirked as she thought that this was a perfect way to start her mission.

Sonia stood and tossed her latte in the trash and walked over to the still moving chameleon. "Hey cutie, why don't cha' wait up a sec!" Sonia called, putting her hands on her hips and swaying them seductively as she walked up to the pink chameleon; who had stopped by now and was staring at her with crossed arms.

"What can I do for you miss?" He asked with a deep voice, which actually surprised Sonia, the guy looked like a more soft spoken type. Though she had to admit, the voice wasn't rough or gruff in anyway, just deep in tone.

Sonia shook her head mentally and smiled at the chameleon sweetly as she tilted her head slightly. "Oh, I'm just new to town and I was wondering if a handsome guy like you could show me around a little?" Sonia said as she looked at him with soft pleading eyes.

To her immense relief the chameleon blushed slightly and nodded his head. "Alright then, I will. Allow me to introduce myself first though." The chameleon said and bowed before stating who he was. "I am Espio of the Chaotix Detective Agency, also Ninja." He said and stood back up, a smirk on his face as he crossed his arms. "I am sure you have heard of us." He said confidently.

Sonia blinked and tilted her head and put a finger to her lips as she thought. Finally after a moment she shrugged and shook her head. "Sorry, never heard of you guys." She stated, causing Espio to crash to the ground head first in dismay. "But I'm sure you can tell me all about you and your agency." She said as she looked at him kindly. Espio looked up with a nervous smile and nodded his head.

With that, Espio began to lead Sonia around town, explaining where what was and telling her some of the adventures him and his friends had, including several of Sonic. Sonia couldn't help but grin in victory, nor could she resist giving Manic a peace sign when she saw him on a rooftop not too far away.

Manic could only sigh as he put his binoculars down and stared at his sister who was still talking with the pink chameleon. "Sonia strikes again I guess. Wonder what Bartleby will say when I tell him this." Manic said as he thought back to Sonia's friend and once Fiancé back in Mobotropolis. The guy was pompous and a jerk, not to mention rich. Manic grinned as he thought back to all the stuff he had jacked off the guy.

"Good thing Sonic wasn't there to stop me or I would've lost a lot of money." Manic thought out loud and scratched his scared over eye. He chuckled as he watched Sonia and the chameleon disappear around a corner. "Guess it's time for me to get started as well. Wonder what the underground here has to say about Sonic."

With that, Manic slid down the fire escape and straight down a manhole and into the sewers.

xNinjax

Sonia laughed as she listened to several stories from the detectives. They were in fact really funny. From Charmy the Bumblebee falling into a sewer, to Vector the Alligator tripping over his own tail and blowing their cover. Though that last one had led to a life and death fight with some bikers.

But now she was listening intently as the three explained about the huge fight with Sonic facing the Perfect Chaos, which had been made from the Chaos Emeralds. But her brother had prevailed as usual and defeated the monster. Though now she had heard everything from the group. Though they couldn't explain everything about the Metarex and exactly what they did, but she got the gist of it.

Now she wanted some different information, especially before the three in front of her started to figure out who she really was. She didn't need this to get back to Sonic who was sure to have told his friends to keep her and Manic away from him and any information about him. Though she wasn't sure what they were going to do when she mentioned this next.

She calmed down from another laughing fit from a story about Sonic falling flat on his face in the middle of a battle and looked at the three. "Those are great stories about Sonic, but you mentioned another Hedgehog. I believe you said his name was Shadow. Can you explain who he is?" Sonia asked shyly, her eyes looking at the three in front of her, all of who was quickly nodding their heads at her.

"Shadow is a great man! He's help with a lot and I'm sure you know this. We've told you about how he helped Sonic destroy the Metarex and the Bio Lizard. You see Shadow was created by this Doctor guy by the name of Gerald Robotnik and…" Sonia listened as the leader of the Detective Agency, Vector, began to tell the tale of Shadow. Though her eyebrows rose into her hair when she heard the name of Shadow's creator.

'Robotnik had family? Well I guess even villains have to have family as well.' She thought as she listened and catalogued the information she got from the detectives as they continued to explain exactly who Shadow was and what had happened to him throughout the years he had known Sonic.

Sonia listened intently and quietly, though she was surprised by some of the information about the black hedgehog, especially about the part of Black Doom helping in creating the Hedgehog. She wondered though how these three could have gotten their hands on such information; especially since what she gathered they weren't exactly there for the final fight between Black Doom, Sonic, and Shadow.

'I wonder exactly what happened to cause Shadow to be who he is.' Sonia thought. She sighed though as she bit her perfectly manicured nail, wondering what she was going to do now. The hedgehog was supposed to be the Ultimate Life Form. If he truly was, then what was Sonia going to do to get at Sonic again. They were limited at the moment, especially at the lack of information.

Sonia sighed and looked at the three detectives who were coming to an end in their explanations. She was happy at this since she was sure this was all the information they were going to get from the detectives, that was until one of them said something unexpected.

"Hey, do you think it was right of us to refuse the Queen and her request?" Charmy asked suddenly as he looked at the two older Detectives. "I mean, I'm sure Sonic wouldn't mind us bringing her by, I mean come on! She is the Queen of Mobius after all!" Charmy exclaimed and threw his arms in the air and then turned to Sonia and pointed at her. "And she's the Queen's daughter Sonia!"

Vector's and Espio's eyes widened at this information and turned to a now sweating Sonia who was looking at her. "Crud! It is her!" Vector yelled as he looked at Espio. "How come you brought her here Espio? We told her everything about Sonic!" Vector Exclaimed as he looked at the girl.

Espio shook his head calmly as he looked at her. "I didn't know she was the Queen's daughter. I just thought she was a beautiful girl that needed help." Espio said as he crossed his arms and looked at the ground, blushing softly.

Vector growled though as he turned to Charmy. "Why didn't you tell us sooner! We told Sonic we wouldn't help the royals in getting to him!" Vector said as he turned to Sonia. "You have to leave now!" He shouted and grabbed Sonia by her arm and led her to the door and opened it. "Don't come back!" Vector yelled as he slammed the door in Sonia's face.

Sonia growled at the rudeness but then smirked. She had gotten the information she wanted anyways. Thanks to the fact that the kid hadn't mentioned the fact that she was in fact related to Queen Aleena. "To late to stop yourselves from blathering on." Sonia said as she walked away, intent on going to find Manic.

She pulled out a small radio and flicked it on, speaking into it after holding a button down. "Sonia to Manic, I got the information we wanted." She said into it, letting go of the button and waiting for a reply.

"Roger that…Meet back at the van then and we'll head back to Angel Island. I'm sure Knuckles will let us hang at his place." Manic called back a few moments later. The static was strong though so Sonia knew where he was.

"Are you in the sewers again! I thought I told you to stay out of there! I don't need you smelling up the van with disgusting sewer water!" Sonia yelled into the radio as static crackled back to life at her.

"Watch it, that's my home ya talkin' about!" Manic replied back with a growl.

Sonia just sighed and shook her head. "Doesn't matter now. Meet back at the van in twenty minutes. See you then bro." Sonia said as she released the radio button again and began walking down the street again.

"See you soon sis." Crackled the radio and then went back to being silent. Sonia shook her head and wrinkled her nose at the thought of having to smell sewer on Manic again. "Just because we're looking for Sonic and gathering information on him doesn't mean we have to go walking through sewers again." Sonia muttered to herself before shaking her head and walking down an ally and stopping suddenly.

She was face to face with a robot. She gulped as she noticed that the robot was round in shape, a head piece at the top with two red eyes glared down at her and then six robotic arms appeared from the sides of it, all with sharp metal claws.

She gulped as she backed away from the thing and touched her medallion and activating it. Her keyboard appeared in her hands and she pointed it at the robot, firing her laser at it. The robot deflected the attack into the building and advanced on her quickly, metal claws blurring around and causing a windmill effect.

Sonia lifted her radio back up and spoke into it quickly. "Manic, I change my mind, I'm going to be a little late." She said as she looked back up at the robot.

"No problem-o Sis, I'm like, totally going to be late too." The radio cackled and she could hear the sound of his drums playing in the background. "Like, I'm surrounded by robots! Totally Robuttnik's doing!" Manic said as the sound of his drums moved quickly again.

Sonia put her radio away and began to play her Keyboard again, this time hitting the robot in the head and destroying its 'brain', stopping it effectively.

That was when the sounds of screams coming from her right startled her. She turned to see smoke rising into the air and the sounds of screams increasing. "Guess I know where I'm going this time." Sonia said as she took off running towards the smoke, ignoring the slight tremble to the ground, already knowing Manic was playing his drums.

xLaserKeyboardx

Manic glared at the robots that were surrounding him in the sewer. They were round in shape, each one having six arms with metal claws at the end of them spinning fast. Manic knew that if he caught hit by one of those, he'd be a goner for sure. So with a smile he touched his medallion and activated it, his drums coming into view.

"Time to rock and roll!" Manic exclaimed as he hit a beat on his drums and the ground began shaking. Soon rubble began falling and hitting the robots, destroying them quickly. Once Manic was sure they were buried, he headed through an opening in the rubble and to a manhole, climbing out of the sewer quickly. "Guess Old Robuttnik is still up to his dirty schemes." Manic said as he looked around in the bright light of the city.

He could hear the sound of screams nearby and began heading towards it. He didn't want to waste any more time and he was sure Sonia was heading in that direction as well. He'd meet up with her soon. Manic grabbed his drumsticks out of his fanny pack and took off running, ready to destroy the robots as soon as he got there.

What he wasn't ready for was to see was one giant robot in the shape of a freaking Rottweiler the size of a five story building. Manic wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do to take this thing out whatsoever and it was really confusing. He had been up against robots before, sure, but they weren't this big and weren't in the shape of an animal.

To tell the truth, Manic was terrified at the moment.

But then his attention was caught by a diabolical laugh that he thought he would never hear again. "Hooo Ho Ho! This has to be one of my best creations yet! Not only does it obey me just like a real dog, it's just as ferocious!" Manic blinked as he looked towards the person who had said that and saw a man with a really long mustache sitting in a round aircraft that had the yellow and black strips for a warning and several blinking lights.

"Manic! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Manic blinked from his surprise and turned to Sonia who had her Keyboard out and was ready to fire the thing if she had to.

Manic nodded and smiled at her. "Well, I was waiting ya know. You're the slowpoke here." Manic replied as he turned back towards Robotnik, or more commonly known today as Eggman. But the two of them don't know that yet.

"Check it out too! Look at whose controlling that thing." Manic said as he pointed towards Eggman. "It's old Robuttnik! I haven't seen him in years!" Manic exclaimed as he watched the old man float around laughing like the madman he is.

Sonia looked up at the man too and ended up laughing! "He's bigger than last time too! Oh my god! He must've gained at least a hundred pounds!" Sonia laughed out as she held her sides, keyboard hanging at her side by the strap.

"I know right! The man's nose hair got longer too! I'm surprised he can even breathe with it all there!" Manic exclaimed as he fell to the ground laughing too hard. Neither noticed that the bald man had now noticed them and was now floating over to them, seemingly curious about who was laughing at him now, cause he knew it wasn't Sonic.

When Eggman finally got close enough to the two hedgehogs, he had to keep himself from panicking. "What in the name of Robotnik are you two doing here!" Eggman yelled at the two and Sonia and Manic instantly stopped laughing as they looked at him and then looked around, pointing to themselves after realizing they were the only ones around. "Yes you two! What the Eggman Empire are you doing here?" Eggman asked as he looked at the two almost full grown hedgehogs that had cursed his life years ago.

Sonia sighed and looked at the man with a soft chuckle. "Sorry about that, it's just that we almost didn't recognize you there for a moment." Sonia said, looking at Manic who was now nodding hurriedly.

"That's right, you're just so different from when we last saw you dude. That's when we thought you couldn't get any uglier." Manic said.

Sonia smirked as she looked up at the maniac. "That was until we saw you today. Boy did you prove us terribly wrong." Sonia said, laughing as Manic burst out.

"You couldn't be any more right Sonia!" The two fell onto the ground again laughing while Eggman was left steaming at the two's insult.

"I think I've slimmed down quite nicely since we last met." Eggman muttered as he crossed his arms petulantly. He sighed though when he saw the two hedgehogs still laughing on the ground while he floated closer to the two. "Well, why are you here? Can't be to stop me, I can tell you that your brother does that just fine by himself." Eggman said as he looked at the two, putting his head in his hand and leaning his elbow against a cleared space of his floating machine.

Sonia and Manic both calmed and looked at the villain with serious looks. "We like, actually came to find our bro. But he's totally avoiding us." Manic said as he touched his medallion and brought his drums out. Sonia nodded her head as she pointed her keyboard back at Eggman's robot.

Eggman nodded his head as he looked at the two. "And I can't very well blame him. He's been through quite the ride since he returned from outer space." Eggman said as he floated back towards his robot. "But I believe I'll eliminate you two now, don't need more than one hedgehog to ruin my plans." With that, Eggman whistled and pointed at the two hedgehogs, the robot dog's head turning towards them. "Sick em boy." With that the Rottweiler attacked the two hedgehogs.

"Manic, create an earthquake and I'll hit him with a laser blast." Sonia said as she fired her laser, hitting the dog-bot in the face. She smiled and then frowned when she noticed that it had no effect, not even a scratch. "Manic! Earthquake now!" Sonia yelled as she backed away and turned completely away from the robot, running away from it so she was out of the way.

"One rockin' drum solo comin' up!" Manic said and began to hit his drums, creating said earthquake and sending the Rottweiler tumbling head over heel into a building. "Yeah! That's how ya make a drum solo baby!" Manic cheered but stopped abruptly as he realized that the Robot was getting right back up.

"Manic, we can't take this out the normal way! Time to take it out the unconventional way." Sonia called out and began to spin rapidly. "Time to spin and win!" She said as a pink tornado was created and she sent it at the robot, who just stood through it and held its ground as the fast wind tried to pick it up and throw it. "Oh man, that thing is heavy." Sonia said as she stopped.

"Let me give it a shot." Manic called out suddenly as he flew pass Sonia on his Temperboard, gliding along the air currents until he was right in front of the dog. "Here fido, here boy, time to get a bath." Manic said as he whistled and pat his knees to get the dog to follow him. The dog did and chased after the quickly retreating robot, leading it towards the ocean nearby.

Sonia was quickly behind just in case Manic needed back up, having jacked a skateboard from the rubble nearby and taking off instantly. "Man, is it me or is it that Robotnik's bots just got tougher to beat?" Sonia said out loud as she kept up with the bot and her brother.

Manic meanwhile was having a great time. He was doing loop de loops and barrel spins and corkscrews in the air and just enjoying his time. He did have to keep the bot interested so he did it by making sure it paid him attention and soon he realized that they were at the pier. Manic smiled as he went out over the ocean and hovered over it, whistling to the dog. "Come on boy, time to take your bath!" Manic called out.

Eggman just watched this all with interest as he watched his bot jump out into the ocean and then begin to swim towards Manic, who was now panicking since his plan had failed. "Guess I forgot to mention that my robots are now waterproof." Eggman said to himself as he watched Manic avoid a swipe of a paw from the bot.

"Yeah, and who knew my sibs were so weak." A voice said next to him. Eggman blinked before he whipped his neck to the side to see Sonic standing there, hands on his hip and staring at the scene. He watched as Manic's board was finally hit and he was thrown into the ocean, Sonia firing several laser beams at the bot to distract it away from her brother. "You'd think they know that you'd upgrade as well." Sonic said as he jumped down and ran towards his sis.

Eggman watched in horror as Sonic began to glow a white and then be consumed in the white while he began to roll. "Damn him and his spin dash." Eggman said as he watched Sonic hit his robot in the head and then continue spinning against it until he blew through it, making the bot blow.

Eggman growled as he disappeared into the sky, yelling out to Sonic, "This isn't over Sonic! I'll get you yet!" And he soon took off, flying towards his headquarters.

Sonic however was now looking down at the sea and wondering how he was going to get back to land now that the ring had worn out and his spin dash had ended. "I never think these things through." Sonic muttered but was saved the humiliation of drowning in the sea by something landing underneath him.

Sonic blinked as he saw the Temperboard underneath him, the same red and yellow that his brother Manic adored greatly. Sonic chuckled as he stood up straight and began to surf the air currents and head back to land. "Well, at least someone is thinking for me." Sonic whispered to himself as he landed in front of the two other hedgehogs now standing on the pier. "Thanks for the save, thought I was going to land in the ocean there for a moment." Sonic said as he tossed the board to Sonia, Manic holding onto his own, though he was now soaked.

Sonia smiled softly at her brother and nodded her head. "Anytime, that's what siblings are for right?" Sonia asked as she looked at her brother. "At least, that's what it was like back then."

Manic nodded his head with his sister, scratching the scars over his eye thoughtfully. "We just want to talk Sonic, nothing more and nothing less. We just want to know why." He said as he looked at his blue brother with a soft frown on his face.

Sonic's eyes narrowed into emerald slits as he looked at the two in front of him. "To bad I don't want to tell you. This has nothing to do with the two of you anyways and you know it." Sonic said as he turned from them and back at the town. "You've wasted your time here, leave here and never return." Sonic said as he began to leave.

Sonia though wasn't about to let him do that and blurted out the first thing she could think of. "Mother is here too! She wants to see you Sonic!" That froze Sonic in place as he looked over his shoulder with a glare.

"I'll take care of her later. For now though, I think it's better for you two to go now." He growled out and took off in a blur of blue.

Sonia and Manic both watched him leave quietly before they turned to each other. "Was it me or was his fur darker than last time?"

xGoldRingx

"They are getting closer." The voice said as footsteps were heard again. "You cannot allow them to stop this. This is needed so we can continue on in the Doctor's plans."

"You think I don't know that already! I'm trying as hard as I can to stay away from them, but they seem to get into the thick of things when trouble arises." The younger voice said as the footsteps came to a halt again. "They are stubborn and Aleena will just impede things like normal."

A light appeared and the glass showed again, the hands still merged up to the wrists. "I understand that, but we must hurry this up or everything the Doctor has done will go to waste. He sent us here for a reason after all and I don't intend for that to go in vain."

"I understand that, nothing will stop us now, not unless I somehow decide this isn't right and just let us explode halfway through the process." The arms connected to the wrists shifted slightly and another hand appeared, sinking into the glass slowly, both arms sinking into the glass until they were elbow deep. "I'm not about to explode into nothingness for some people who think I'm family."

"Good, I want this to go as smoothly as possible. Be ready for what will come because you will be going through hell for the next several weeks."

"I will be prepared, do not worry."

"When will you tell him the full truth?"

Silence permeated through the area until the younger sounding of the two answered. "Hopefully after everything is done and said. He won't be able to change it then."

Another silence but shorter this time. "If that is what you wish to do, but don't come crying to me when he beats you to a pulp for not revealing everything."

A chuckle and the sound of tapping feet. "Don't worry, we'll be out of there when he loses his temper and be long gone before he can do anything. After all, we'll definitely be the fastest thing alive by the time this is all over."

xMergex

A.N. What do you guys think? Think the fight with Sonic and Eggman was too short. Sorry if you did, I royally suck at fight scenes but I'll try harder on the next fighting scene. Maybe I'll have more with Eggman or something, but I doubt it. Oh and the confrontation between Sonic and Queen Aleena will be coming up soon and the Mystery behind Boom will be revealed after a while as well.

Everything will be revealed soon enough. Don't worry just yet. Hope you enjoyed and please review, I wanna hear your guy's opinions.


	4. Nightly Visits

Chapter Four

Nightly Visits

**Fifty years past: The Ark**

The lab was dark and the pod inside glowed the usual light green, the baby that had been in it just months ago was now the equivalent of a five year old. Doctor Gerald smiled as he looked at it in pride. The child had grown remarkably fast in the liquid. Boom had taken several years to form to this initial stage because the Doctor had lacked what he needed to make the first grow.

Now though, Shadow was developing at a rapid rate and Gerald was sure it would be the strongest one out there…except for Boom who was still the strongest at the moment.

A whoosh went through the lab and Gerald looked over his shoulder to see Boom standing just behind him, also looking at the pod with now light golden eyes. The other creature couldn't wait for the child to come back out; he wanted to see what it was like at this age. Again, Maria was the only child on board at the moment and Boom had been born after the girl had turned nine.

Gerald smiled as he went to the computer system next to the pod and began to type in the same sequence he had four months. The purple liquid filled the tank and Shadow began to move inside and then the liquid began to drain away. Soon Shadow was left in the pod sitting and looking around curiously. Boom smiled as he hit a button and opened the pod all the way.

"Hello there young Shadow." Boom said as he looked into the pod, smiling as Shadow looked at him with those same bright crimson eyes. "It's nice to see you awake again." Boom continued as he stepped into the pod and picked the young one up and took out of the pod, ignoring the fact that he was getting his dark fur wet.

Gerald smiled at his creations as he laid a blanket down on the ground where Boom soon set Shadow. Then the child was attacked with a towel and dried from the liquid that helped him develop at a rapid pace. "He seems to be doing well. He actually seems to be the equivalent of a five and nine month's old child. I think he'll be done sooner then I think." Gerald said as he put a hand to his chin and thought.

Boom nodded as he continued to dry the child off completely before backing off and letting the Doctor look at Shadow more closely. "Can you say anything?" Gerald asked as he looked into the crimson eyes.

Shadow looked at him for a second before tilting his head to the side and smiling innocently. "Anything." Shadow said in a childish voice, but Gerald's eyebrows rose to the top of his head. He didn't actually have any hair to hide his eyebrows with at the moment.

Boom stood to the side, arms crossed and chuckling softly as he watched the interaction. "He seems to know how to talk Doctor. He also seems to have a sense of humor." Boom stated as he looked at the young child. Shadow was now looking at Boom with curiosity that only a child could have.

"Boom!" Shadow suddenly cried and smiled at him, raising his arms up and signaling that he wanted up. "Boom! Brother Boom!" Shadow continued and stood up unsteadily and walked to the other creation. Boom blinked in surprise several times before shaking his head and picking the child up.

Gerald couldn't help but smile at his two creations. They looked very much alike, even if Shadow was made with a bit of Black Doom in him. The two now looked as if they were actual brothers, or that Boom was Shadow's father since Boom had a good ten years on the younger hedgehog that wasn't even one yet.

Boom smiled down at Shadow and nodded his head. "Yes Shadow, I'm Brother Boom. Big Brother Boom in fact. I got a good ten years ahead of you." Boom said as he suddenly threw the child in the air. Shadow squealed in delight at this and then giggled as Boom caught him again.

"I think I'm going to like being Shadow's big brother." Boom said as he looked at Gerald.

The Doctor nodded and stood back up. "Now, let's get this one some applesauce and chicken nuggets." Gerald said as he tickled Shadow's chin, making the child giggle even more.

xChickenNuggetsx

**Present: Green Hill Zone**

The night was warm and a gentle breeze swayed the trees and flowers. Everything was calm and everyone was asleep. Well, almost everyone.

The moon was still shining brightly in the sky as he sat down on the cliff that he had been on only a few days back. Days, it had felt so much longer than that that he could hardly believe it. The days seemed to stretch so much longer since everything had begun. He was still horribly confused but he wasn't about to let it affect his everyday life.

He sighed as he pulled over the guitar case that he had brought with him. It was the normal black case but had his symbol on it. The blue swirl like symbol that had his spikes and an eye. Everyone new this symbol and usually left the case alone because of it, not that anyone would touch it in the first place. He usually kept it hidden underneath his and Shadow's bed, hidden away and safe.

He flipped the locks on it and opened the guitar up to show a beautiful Squier Mini Strat electric guitar. The color was that the outer was a Crimson and the inside a black. The neck was maple and the fingerboard was rosewood, specially made and specially ordered.

Sonic smiled down at the guitar in his hands as he began to tune it for the song he was going to play. Shadow had found out for his love of music when they first started dating and Sonic's birthday had been coming up then. The black hedgehog had wanted to get him something special for their first special celebration together. Sonic had been exceedingly surprised and pumping with just happiness that he had glomped Shadow then and there and had kissed him so hard that Knuckles had thrown his soda at Sonic's head.

Sonic only ever pulled out this guitar in special circumstances or when he thought no one would hear him play. Now had been a good time to pull out his Protector. Sonic still chuckled at the name Shadow had given the name, which was currently beautifully written on the side of the guitar at the bottom in black ink.

Shadow had said that he had it named that because it would help Sonic when he needed something to play his feelings full out, when Shadow wasn't there for him and he wasn't able to ask anyone else for help. Shadow expected him to play this guitar when he needed to feel protected or when he felt confused and needed something to sort it out.

Now was a time to play Protector, for Sonic was sure he would feel a little more clear headed and calm when he did. So Sonic began to play the opening cords of the song that he had on his mind. He never noticed the shadow in the background, watching with near concern.

_I caught a chill _

_and it's still frozen on my skin _

_I think about why _

_I'm alone, by myself _

_No one else to explain _

_how far do I go? _

_No one knows_

Sonic stopped for a moment, his ears twitching back and forth as he listened closely. He thought he had heard something or someone else. He didn't want to be caught at that moment. No one was supposed to know that he was here at the moment.

When he decided that he had only been hearing things, he went back to strumming his guitar, starting over on the song.

_I caught a chill _

_and it's still frozen on my skin _

_I think about why _

_I'm alone, by myself _

_No one else to explain _

_how far do I go? _

_No one knows_

_If the end is so much better, why don't we just live forever? _

_Don't tell me I'm the last one in line _

_Don't tell me I'm too late this time_

In truth he still felt like he had been too late to do anything for anyone. Though he had helped save the day for so many people, friends included, he still wasn't sure he wanted to go on as he was.

_I don't want to live _

_To waste another day _

_Underneath the shadow of mistakes I made _

_Cause I feel like I'm breaking inside _

_I don't want to fall and say I lost it all _

_'Cause baby there's a part of me that hit the wall _

_Leaving pieces of me behind _

_And I feel like I'm breaking inside_

There was a reason he was singing this song. Though he would never admit to his friends about that reason. He would never in a million years even admit it to Shadow. They would never understand because he hid so much from them that he was a perpetual mystery to most of them. Though Shadow still knew more than most at this time, at least about the two other hedgehogs and their mother.

_Out here, nothings clear _

_Except the moment I decided to move on and I ignited _

_Disappear into the fear _

_You know there ain't no comin' back _

_When you're still carrying the past _

_You can't erase, separate _

_Cigarette in my hand, _

_Hope you all understand_

_I won't be the last one in line _

_I finally figured out what's mine_

His ears twitched again as he heard that same sound from before, but he didn't stop playing this time. He continued on with it and was just waiting for that sound to repeat itself. He knew it would come again and he would be sure to get at that person as soon as he was done with his song. He needed this time to sort everything out. He just didn't want to stop.

_I don't want to live _

_To waste another day _

_Underneath the shadow of mistakes I made _

_'Cause I feel like I'm breaking inside _

_I don't want to fall and say I lost it all _

_'Cause baby there's a part of me that hit the wall _

_Leaving pieces of me behind _

_Leaving pieces of me behind _

_And I feel like I'm breaking inside _

_I won't be the last one in line, _

_I finally figured out what's mine_

There it was again. That sound… a footstep? His brows furrowed as he listened again and sure enough, there it was again. The sound of footsteps. He wasn't sure who it was but he only had this last chorus and then he'd be on them in a minute.

_I don't want to live _

_To waste another day _

_Underneath the shadow of mistakes I made _

_'Cause I feel like I'm breaking inside _

_I don't want to fall and say I lost it all _

_'Cause baby there's a part of me that hit the wall _

_Leaving pieces of me behind _

_Leaving pieces of me behind _

_And I feel like I'm breaking inside _

_And I feel like I'm breaking, _

_I feel like I'm breaking inside _

Once his cords finally died away Sonic sat Protector down in its case and was on his watcher in an instant. He growled as they rolled around in the grass for several minutes until he was finally pinned on his back, wrists above his head and a pair of legs straddling his hips.

Sonic blinked as he looked up into Crimson eyes so bright he thought of only blood to compare them. "Shadow." Sonic whispered in surprise as he was finally let up since Shadow himself was standing up now.

"Sonic." Shadow said as he helped the blue hedgehog stand up, his eyes narrowing for a second before tightening his grip on the blue blur's hand and leading him back towards the cliff. Shadow sat down and Sonic sat next to him, Protector at Shadow's side.

"I see you brought Protector out for a play." Shadow said simply as he shut the case with his free hand. Sonic could only nod his head as he looked out towards the water that he so feared and yet loved to watch in the moonlight.

"Yeah, I think I needed to since they showed up here." Sonic whispered and leaned against Shadow's shoulder, closing his eyes as he listened to the Ultimate Life Form's breathing, crashing of the waves below, and the wind whistling in his ears. It was such a calm night and he loved it more than anything else. He loved spending times like this with Shadow. "I wish they never had come to find me." Sonic whispered as he opened his emerald eyes to look over the glittering water.

Shadow looked down at Sonic in concern and curiosity. The blue hedgehog seemed to have changed in the last few days. Though it was hard to believe most of the time. Though now was not the time to comment on that, he was sure of that.

"What do you mean by that? I thought you would be happy to see your family again." Shadow said thoughtfully as he turned back towards the ocean too, eyes glittering in the moonlight.

Sonic sighed as he gripped Shadow's hand more forcefully. "I normally wouldn't mind, but this is a bad time, they should've just let everything go when we played that song one last time." Sonic said as he referred to the time his crystal finally shattered.

Shadow frowned at this but kept his mouth shut, knowing Sonic wasn't done talking. He wasn't disappointed either a second later. "I mean come on, I'm sure they'd figure out that I wanted nothing to do with them after my guitar shattered. It was obvious that that was the reason I had played the thing in the first place. Even that damn Oracle knew that it was going to happen, which is why he kept his mouth shut when Mom told us." Sonic continued on until he finally felt a sting in his eyes that made him stop.

Sonic couldn't help but turn his face into Shadow's shoulder, hiding his face away from the light and snuggling into the soft fur there. He rather enjoyed Shadow's fur, especially the soft white patch on his chest. Mostly because he could hide in it if need be and Shadow didn't have a problem when he did, knowing sometimes that a hero needed to hide away from everyone too.

Even now, Shadow didn't say anything, he didn't shrug Sonic off, he didn't sneer or growl at him, he just let Sonic be and let the Hero hide away from his adoring public.

Sonic chuckled softly as he thought of something he only ever thought of when he was like this with the black hedgehog. 'Shadow is my hero.' With that though, tears finally leaked from Sonic's eyes.

Shadow blinked in surprise as he suddenly felt his shoulder become wet and that the wetness was slowly spreading through his fur. His crimson eyes widened as he could only think of one reason for his shoulder to be getting wet at all, especially since it was the area that Sonic had his head planted. Shadow did something he rarely did. He began to panic.

Shadow had no idea what to do around a crying person. He normally left that to Rouge since the bat had more experience with emotion. Shadow normally just shot and kicked ass when he was needed to and he helped save those in danger, but he didn't help quell any emotion that was leaked into the mission. He just ignored it and left it to the bat.

Shadow was close to hyperventilating until he felt a hard knock on the chest. He coughed quietly as he looked down at the glowing emerald eyes looking up at him with worry, tears still trickling down the blue and peach face. "You alright there Shadz?" Sonic asked as he watched Shadow get his breath back.

Shadow smiled sheepishly as he looked at his blue blur. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just lost my breath at the sight in front of us." Shadow said as he pointed out to the ocean.

He really lost his breath this time.

Sonic gasped in excitement as he watched dolphins jump out of the water and high into the air, doing flips and barrel rolls while airborne. Shadow watched with just as much amazement as Sonic, not believing that his cover had just worked out so well.

Both watched the dolphins play until way early in the morning, enjoying the fact that this view took their minds off of any problems at the moment. That was until Shadow shifted and he felt his fur still damp from when Sonic had been…crying.

Shadow sighed as he turned back towards his lover and looked at the peaceful look the blue hedgehog had on his face. He really didn't want to ruin the moment, but he knew he had to, just to make sure his blue blur was alright.

"Sonic…." Was about as far as he got before a blight flash of green blinded the both of them, making them shield their eyes, Shadow using a hand and Sonic using Shadow's shoulder and chest, hiding his face away.

Shadow waited several minutes before lowering his hand down and looking towards the area the light came from and gasped at the sight in front of him. Sonic on the other hand kept his face hidden and groaned as he guessed who it was that was now standing…erm, floating in front of him. "Can't you just leave me alone!" Sonic said into Shadow's chest still, ignoring his partner's fast beating heart from the shock.

"Ah, know this child, I shall only ever leave you be for when you are free." Sonic groaned as he shifted his head slightly so he could look out over the ocean and to the still floating and slightly green glowing figure.

Though the figure was still robed in a purple robe, hood pulled up over his head, Sonic could still make him out clearly, though he wasn't quite sure what this guy what, he knew that long nose with the triangle shape for the nostrils and three fingered hands.

"Still with the riddles, huh Orc?" Sonic asked as he sighed and hid his face back into Shadow's chest fur. Shadow at this point was now glaring at the now named Orc, though he wasn't sure why this man was here now.

"But of course, I must fill my time doing something until another prophecy is ready to be fulfilled." Orc said as he turned his attention to the black hedgehog. "You must be Mobius's other hero, Shadow the Hedgehog. A perfect yang to young Sonic's yin. I must thank you for fulfilling another prophecy for me, now I only have one left." Orc said as he looked back at Sonic. "Now give me your attention Young Sonic, this will not take much time."

Sonic growled as he gripped Shadow's hand tightly before standing up and turned to the floating figure and meeting his emerald eyes with the obsidian of Orc. "Look Oracle, I could care less about what you want, all _I _want is for you to leave and let me have my peace." Sonic growled out as his emerald eyes flashed furiously.

The Oracle laughed as he looked at Sonic closely, eyes narrowing as they came to the spot around his neck and then sighing with regret. "I am sorry young one, but I will be unable to do that. Your own final story will begin soon and I must be here to witness it, just like I was when you destroyed Robotnik's empire. Now you must truly unlock that power you have touched before." The Oracle said as he waved his hand and a staff appeared out of nowhere, a gnarled staff that was knotted at the top.

Sonic watched closely as the Oracle waved his staff and a green mist appeared out of it, solidifying enough to show several pictures. One of Sonic and his siblings playing a song together, though Sonic now held Protector in his hands as he played with them, they all looked extremely happy together and Sonic couldn't help but smile at it.

Another was of Shadow smirking at him from his side, both looked ready and gearing for a battle, though Sonic couldn't see who against. Sonic watched as Shadow said something in the picture and the Sonic there turned red before snapping a reply. Sonic could only shake his head as he watched the picture. Though he finally had to turn to the final picture and this is where he froze.

A picture of Maria and Gerald Robotnik were up on the screen, both smiling and waving happily. In between them stood Shadow, arms crossed and a small smirk on his face as he too looked from the picture. Sonic gulped as he turned to look at Shadow, who was looking at the picture that was his once family, though it seemed as if he was looking at them with narrowed eyes as he tilted his head just slightly.

Sonic gave him a weird look before looking at the picture again. It was definitely of the three space colonists. Maria looked happy in it, face having a faint blush on it as her blue eyes sparkled happily and her blonde hair curled beautifully. Dr. Gerald was as wrinkly as ever and his sunglasses prevented his eyes from being seen and he still had the long grey mustache that all Robotnik's seemed to have. Shadow looked like he did now, in the present, but a little more naïve.

Sonic though looked around the picture, hoping to find out what Shadow was looking at and just as he was about to give up he looked to the back corner where a capsule was being held at the moment, filled with a green liquid. Inside it you could see a dark figure floating in it. Sonic's eyes widened as he realized that Shadow wasn't looking at the ones he called family, but the one that was in the pod.

"How did you know about him?" Shadow turned to the oracle as he glared at the old man. The Oracle raised an eyebrow as he turned to the last picture himself.

"Do you mean Gerald Robotnik? I have always known about him, even before he was born." The Oracle replied as he turned back to Shadow, looking at him curiously.

Shadow shook his head as he pointed at the picture and growling as he poked his finger at it. "No you idiot! The one in the back, all the way in the pod!" Shadow shouted as he locked his eyes back onto the pod in the picture.

The Oracle blinked again but waved his staff around, bringing up another picture. "You mean this one?" He asked as the picture came into view and you could see a black hedgehog with white muzzle and chest, eyes closed and floating listlessly in the liquid. There were no shoes or gloves on the hedgehog, only black rings that resembled the rings on Shadow's wrists and ankles. "The one that Dr. Gerald called Boom I believe." The Oracle stated as he looked at the picture as well.

Shadow nodded as he looked at it too. "Yes, Boom was my big brother. He was created before me." Shadow whispered as he looked at the picture and then looked at the other pictures again, staring in confusion.

Sonic though was glaring at the Oracle with fiery eyes, making his emerald orbs seem to brighten and glow in the dark. "What is it that you're trying to tell me? What does those two have to do with anything! They were Shadow's family, not mine; I don't know who they were." Sonic said as he threw his hands in the air and then pointing at Shadow and then his arms back in the air through his rant.

The Oracle watched with little amusement as he swirled his staff and the picture of Boom in his pod was moved to sit next to the one with Maria and Gerald, settling by them happily and without complaint. "This has everything to do with it because young one, these are people of both your past and future. These people will be the ones that will truly help you." The Oracle said as he turned to Shadow again, ignoring Sonic who was now fuming.

Shadow had been listening somewhat to the conversation that Sonic was having with the Oracle, but just barely. His crimson gaze was fixed on the figure of Boom. His mind wondering to the times that he played with the older hedgehog and when he went to him for advice or stories of his own. After all, Boom had been a good ten years older than him but acted the same age as him, never really leaving him by himself.

The real truth about Boom had been hidden from Shadow though when the older hedgehog fell ill one day, Doctor Gerald not telling him what had happened. It had been a secret kept from Shadow; Maria had even refused to tell him what had happened. Shadow was sure that Boom had never made it off the ship though and Shadow had guessed that he had been killed when Gun had entered the ship. They would've thought that he was another experiment in progress, one that would be worse than Shadow and they weren't about to let that happen.

Shadow watched Boom float in the liquid for several more moments until his gaze snapped onto the Oracle, who was now calling his name.

"What?" Shadow snarled as he crossed his arms and glared at the man before him. He wasn't about to take anything from this man, especially if he was causing his lover a great deal of problems at the moment.

The Oracle only chuckled at him as he motioned towards the picture of Boom. "What if I told you that he is alive?"

It was absolutely quiet, not even the waves were making a sound down below. Sonic watched Shadow with a wary eye, inching away from the dark hedgehog slowly. The blue blur had no idea just what the other was about to do and he wasn't about to be caught in the cross fire of it.

"Where?" Shadow whispered as he looked at the ground, arms falling to his sides and his fists clenched. "Where can I find him?" Sonic watched in horror as Shadow looked up towards the Oracle, eyes glistening with unshed tears. Sonic turned to the Oracle as he chuckled silently, his gaze flickering to a horror struck Sonic.

"You shall find the one you seek in due time, though I will warn you now, you shall lose a cherished one in return for this other hedgehog. Choose wisely for if you wish for your brother to return, you shall lose the heart of your world." With that, the Oracle swung his staff around him and made himself disappear in a swirl of green mist.

Shadow looked at the spot where the Oracle had been only moments ago and then sighed as he sat back down on the cliff, looking out across the ocean as he thought about the strange encounter. The Oracle had given him some information, but not enough to make finding his brother any better and he was unusually confused about the warning the man had left for him.

He would have to give something up for his brother and this something just so happened to be the center of his world, but what would that be, what or who would be so important that it would mean losing the heart of himself and his world. Shadow could only shake his head as he looked back out towards the ocean, only to blink and realize a very important detail that he had forgotten all about.

Shadow looked over to his left, where Sonic was still standing, staring at him with wide eyes and his ears pressed up against his head. His eyes were full of tears and an emotion you would hardly ever see on the blue blur's face. Fear.

"Sonic, what's wrong?" Shadow asked as he stood back up, a worried frown on his face. The blue hedgehog looked as if he was about to bolt. "Sonic, what's wrong? What is going on, why do you look so…scared?" Shadow asked as he slowly walked towards Sonic, moving slowly as to not frighten the fastest thing alive.

"What will you do Shadow?" Sonic suddenly asked as he took a step back, leaving his right foot slightly in front of him so he could move at any second. "Will you go and look for him?" Sonic continued to ask his own, ignoring Shadow's questions about himself. He didn't care at the moment; all he wanted was to know what Shadow would do.

Shadow looked out towards the ocean and all was quiet again as he thought about his answer. Would he go and look for Boom? Would it be worth it? Only to lose the heart of his world. Shadow blinked as he realized something very important; he would lose the heart of his world if he looked for Boom, to find his brother.

Could he give Sonic up for Boom?

Shadow looked back towards a terrified Sonic, who was still watching him with flashing emerald eyes. "I'm not going to leave you Sonic, no matter what." Shadow said as he walked calmly towards Sonic, moving with the grace he had been engineered to have.

Sonic was stalk still as he watched Shadow move with his ever grace, shocked at what the black hedgehog had said and yet incredibly happy at the same time. "But, what about your brother, Boom?" Sonic asked quietly as he lowered his head and looked at the ground, hands fisting at his sides.

Shadow smiled softly, one only Sonic would only ever see for him and no one else, as he approached the blue hedgehog and cupped both of his cheeks with his gloved hands. He lifted Sonic's face up and made sure he had Sonic's eyes before he answered. "He is my brother, yes, but he is not the center of my world. He is not my heart. He is only a sibling that I haven't seen in fifty some years." Shadow said as he lowered his own lips onto Sonic's, Sonic groaning at the feel of the other's lips.

"Shadow." Sonic whispered with a choke sob as he was released, covering one of Shadow's hands with his own and leaning into one of them. "Shadow." Sonic whispered again as tears sprang to his eyes and fell down his face.

Shadow smiled sadly and pulled Sonic to his chest and held him there. Sonic buried his face into the white tuff of fur on his lover's chest and clutched at the fur on the other's chest as a lifeline. He wasn't about to let go anytime soon and Shadow wouldn't have had any other way.

Shadow wasn't sure how long they stood there and just enjoyed the other's embrace, but Shadow was starting to get exceedingly tired. He looked out towards the ocean and saw the son rising; he groaned in annoyance and tiredly. Shadow looked down at Sonic and almost growled in irritation; the blue hedgehog was sound asleep, holding to him tightly still.

Shadow sighed and slumped his shoulders as he gave in and picked the blue one up in a bridle style so Sonic wouldn't have to release him from his clutch. "The things I do for you." Shadow said with a soft smile as he watched Sonic sleep for a little bit, the peaceful smile on the blue one's face cementing his decision even further. "But I wouldn't give you up for the world or anything or anyone else." Shadow said as he nuzzled Sonic's ears gently before taking off at supersonic speed.

xNotforAnythingx

"This is getting rather tiresome my friend. You must either tell him now or leave until the transition is complete." A voice said in complete darkness though the shape of the figure could be seen.

"Get off my back will ya! I'm trying here and I'm sure that even if I tell him it won't change anything!" A younger voice said as another figure appeared, though as for the first, no details could be clearly seen. "I just got the fact that he'll stay with me!"

The older sounding voice sighed and the sound of fur rustling was heard. "I know, and I'm happy for you, but you're going to be making this exceedingly harder for the two of you if you don't tell him." He said as the sounds of steps were heard.

"Look, it's just another two weeks. I'm sure we can do this in that span of time." The younger of the two exclaimed, the figure showed arms being thrown into the air. The one that had walked away turned back to the younger and growled.

"I know we can do this! We have no choice or we'll otherwise be destroyed! That and I found something interesting out about this whole thing!" The older said as he walked gracefully to the other.

"Oh, what is this interesting piece of news then? What was the hidden secret left for us?" The younger asked, hands on their hips now.

"I won't be hiding in the shadows of your mind." The older stated crossing their arms as the younger's arms fell to their sides.

"What do you mean by that! I thought you were just going to be my conscience." The younger exclaimed in annoyance.

The older sighed as they shook their head tiredly. "I thought that as well, but it turns out the Doctor had something else planned. He left me a file inside of me and it turns out that we will be combined. Our two personalities will become one." The older said and then waited for a reply.

It was oddly quiet during those few moments, telling him this reaction might not be good.

Though he was surprised with a low growl. "Explain."

The older chuckled and nodded their head. "Alright, this is what he had planned."

xPlanx

**Song: Breaking Inside by Shinedown**

A.N. So what do you guys think so far? Good/not good? Please I wanna hear your thoughts. Tell me please, I am desperate. Review and I'll have Boom give you a private interview in the next chapter or the one after that. Depends on the reviews. Good luck! And I hope you enjoy it so far!


	5. Mommy Dearest

Chapter Five

Mommy Dearest

**Fifty Years Past: On Board the Ark**

Boom watched as Shadow ran by him, speeding as fast as he could. Though Boom was holding a stop watch that was already reading a minute twenty-five, he was sure that Shadow was still improving greatly. Though the black hedgehog was still at the physical age of a ten year old, he was already at the speed of four hundred fifty miles per hour.

Boom smiled as Shadow ran by him again, this time stopping a little ways from the older hedgehog and turning back towards him with a smile. "What time Brother Boom, what was my time this time?" Shadow asked excitingly as he hopped up and down.

Boom smiled at the younger hedgehog and patted him on the head. "You did better Shadow, only a minute forty-seven seconds this time. You're doing so much better than you did a day ago Shadow, I won't be surprised that when you're out of that pod for a final time that you'll be just as fast as me." Boom said softly with kind sapphire eyes, glowing with pride for the younger hedgehog.

Shadow smiled happily at the older hedgehog and hugged him tightly around his waist. Boom blinked in surprise as he looked down at the younger hedgehog that clung around him tightly and unsure what to do at that moment. The only ones who really ever touched him were Maria and Gerald, neither had ever really hugged him before.

Boom stood stiffly for several moments before he too wrapped his arms around young Shadow, holding to him softly and firmly. Boom had never really hugged anyone but he enjoyed hugging Shadow. The boy tended to be on his soft side because many of the humans onboard the Ark tended to glare at him or just tell him what they thought. A lot of it wasn't nice at all.

It was several moments but Boom finally released Shadow and Shadow released Boom as well. "As much as I would love to cling to each other like we're in a blizzard, I think it would be better if we fed you now. The Doctor wanted to return you to your pod for the next few stages." Boom said as he put a hand on Shadow's shoulder and began to steer him towards the cafeteria.

Shadow scrunched his face up and looked up at his older brother. "But why do I have too! Can't I just stay out here with you and Maria? I can age like a normal Anthrop?" The young black hedgehog said as he looked pleadingly at the older one.

Boom shook his head and lifted his hands in the air in a he can't help much. "I can't say why, but I think it has to do with protecting Maria sooner. You know you can't do anything until you've reached your peak where you won't age anymore. As soon as you're at that peak, Dr. Gerald will begin working on Maria's cure." Boom explained as he smiled at the child gently.

Shadow looked saddened at this but nodded his head in understanding, which of course, he did understand, but it was still really hard for him to go back into the pod. It normally scared him when he did, even though he's only been out a few times. He did remember when he was put back in when he was at the age equivalent of a five year old and he had been scared senseless when the doctor had put him in and the pod began to fill all the way up. He thought he was going to drown but then fell asleep in the cool liquid.

"I'm scared." Shadow whispered as he looked at the ground, Boom looking at him in surprise as they came to a halt. Though Boom could sympathize with the little hedgehog greatly, the Doctor had gone through the same procedure with him when Boom himself was being created.

"I can understand Shadow, I was terrified too when I had to go back into the pod. The last time I had to go in, I thought I was never going to come back out." Boom said as he began walking again, Shadow catching up and looking at him in curiosity.

"Really, what happened?" Shadow asked as he looked at his older brother.

Boom smiled sadly as he thought back to that time, the pain he had been in when it had happened. "I malfunctioned and something was trying to tear me apart. The Doctor had put me back in to save my life. If he hadn't, I wouldn't be here right now." Boom said as he looked down at Shadow, who had a horrified look on his face. "But I'm alright now. The Doctor fixed me up right away." Boom said as he patted the younger one on the head, comforting the little hedgehog easily.

Shadow nodded his head as he grinned up at his elder and said in a very cocky voice, "Wanna race? I bet I can beat you this time!" Shadow said as he took off with a head start. Boom shook his head and counted to five before he disappeared in a flash of black and appeared next to the cafeteria doors, Shadow appearing a mere twenty seconds later.

Shadow scowled at the older one as Boom patted his head gently and chuckled. "You still have a while to go before you can beat me in a race Shadow." Boom said as he turned to enter the cafeteria but then froze.

Shadow looked up at his brother in confusion and then fear as he felt something began to leak from the older hedgehog. Only moments later Shadow could see a black like aura surround Boom and encase him in the thick feeling of dread. Shadow stood shacking as he watched in terror as Boom bent over, screaming and holding his stomach.

Soon enough, the older hedgehog fell to the ground, gasping in pain and rolling to his side, screaming as loud as he could. Shadow did the first thing he could think of to help his brother in all but blood.

He ran to find Doctor Gerald and hope he could save his brother.

xMalfunctionx

**Present: Sonic Boom Club**

Shadow sighed as he looked around the club, wondering why he was there again. The music was blaring and crowds of people were there again, all dancing, some rubbing up against each other in obvious lust but not wanting to leave and miss a rare occurrence.

Sonic the Hedgehog had decided to play again at the Sonic Boom a good six months earlier than what he normally did. In fact the hedgehog was now hitting the records hard and turning them like no other. The sounds and beat he was creating making the crowds go crazy with excitement.

Shadow had his eyes on Sonic now though, the blue blur was moving as he mixed the beats and the rhythm, swaying his hips back and forth and nodding his head, headphones covering his ears so he could hear the music clearly. Shadow sometimes forgot how Sonic was so connected to music, just like he was connected to the wind and his running. Shadow didn't think Sonic would ever be able to give up his music, not for anyone.

Shadow absentmindedly sipped at his beverage, a simple root-beer float with a couple scoops of chocolate brownie ice-cream. He was really enjoying it especially in the heated up Dance club that had bodies moving all over the place. Shadow was starting to get even hotter than before though as he kept his eyes on Sonic, who was now looking down at him with a grin that spelled trouble for Shadow.

Shadow's eyes narrowed as the song came to an end and Sonic took up the mic to address the audience below. "Hey there all the way down on earth!" Roars answered Sonic and the blue hedgehog laughed and waved his hands as he hushed them down. "You guys wanna hear me rock out a song for ya on my electric?" Sonic asked and he was again answered with a roar. Sonic nodded his head as he looked over to Shadow and winked.

"What if I told ya I could get a partner to play with me?" Sonic said as he jumped from the DJ booth with the mic in his hand still, walking towards the stage, crowd roaring again. "What if I told ya that this partner just so happens to be here now?" The crowd began looking around, looking for someone that looked like he would play with Sonic. No one even glanced at Shadow since he was hidden in shadows at this point, not that it hid him from his lover.

Sonic smirked at Shadow and addressed the crowd again. "He seems to be incredibly shy again." Here Sonic shrugged helplessly as he raised his hands in a 'what can you do motion'. "He's hiding from us and he thinks he can get away." Sonic said as he looked at the crowd, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "He's being a right coward and he knows I'll be holding him running away from this for a long time." Sonic replied.

Shadow scowled in the shadows as he thought about what he was going to do for a moment. It was obvious that Sonic was using this to get him to sing and play with him, Shadow having only ever played once and he hadn't since. He guessed that Sonic wanted to play with him again since it had been a while and the blue hedgehog had been beyond stressed the last week.

Shadow sighed as he began to walk towards the stage. The crowd saw him moving forward and roared at the thought of Shadow the Hedgehog playing with their favorite hero. Shadow scowled and crossed his arms as he walked up to Sonic, who was now smirking in triumph. "You are so going to pay for this tonight." Shadow whispered to Sonic as he covered the mic so what he said wasn't heard.

Sonic could only widen his smirk at this as he thought about all the things they were going to do that night but pushed it back of his mind as he returned to the audience. "He's finally shown himself folks. So how about we actually give you guys a song!" Sonic yelled and the crowd cheered as Sonic put the mic up for a headphone mics instead. Shadow was given one to along with a black electric guitar and Sonic grabbing up his blue guitar that had his signature quills on it.

"So, know what song we're going to play?" Shadow asked as he strummed his own guitar and fixed it to the right tune, Sonic doing the same but also tapping his feet as he thought about the song they were going to play.

A sudden grin spread on the blue wonder's face as he looked at his lover with a wicked gleam in his emerald eyes. "Oh, do I know the song we should play?" Sonic suddenly began to strum a beat and Shadow mentally face faulted as he heard the beat.

"That is really stupid but whatever. You wanted me to play so I'll play but I'll sing." Shadow said as he too caught up in the strumming as a sudden drum began to hit it out in the background and keyboard was heard as well, giving back up music. Shadow and Sonic both scowled at the two instruments but continued to play the song.

_I have my mother's dreams,_

_I have my father's eyes,_

_You can't take that from me,_

_Just go ahead and try._

_The crescent city sleeps,_

_While giants in the sky,_

_Preparing to unleash,_

_Let loose a mighty cry._

Shadow was known to be able to sing just as beautifully as his partner, only his voice was slightly deeper, enabling him to play songs requiring a deep tone. Sonic knew this when he chose this song but he didn't actually plan for this one. He wanted another one but thought this one would keep him out of trouble for a little bit longer instead of inciting his lover's wrath. That he didn't want to deal with.

_Can nobody save us?_

_Will anyone try?_

_The bayou is burning,_

_The cypress is dying._

_And all along they're saying_

_Help is on the way_

_(They said, they said)_

_Help is on the way_

_(They said, they said)_

_One by land, two by sea._

_Right there in front of me._

_Help is on the way._

Shadow continued on to sing the main lyrics while Sonic took the chorus. The two made a great pair as they played and sang together. Though the crowd was roaring in excitement, Shadow was sweating with slight nerves. Ever since the whole Doom fiasco some people saw him as evil still and he could see those hateful stares as he sung but Sonic beside him kept him going. He ignored those that hated him and continued for the one he loved.

_Five thousand feet below,_

_As black smoke engulfs the sky,_

_The ocean floor explodes,_

_Eleven mothers cry._

_My bones all resonate,_

_A burning lullaby,_

_You can't take that from me,_

_Just go ahead and try._

Sonic thought of Angel Island at this point, how he could always see what was happening below and see where Eggman was causing trouble. His mind wondered slightly to the fights he had with the evil inventor and yet how he would help when up against a foe that not even Sonic could take by himself. 'A lot could be said with a single song,' Sonic thought as he continued to play.

_She stands at the shoreline,_

_With hands in the air,_

_Her words pierce the dark night,_

_"Does anyone care?"_

_And all along they're saying_

_Help is on the way_

_(They said, they said)_

_Help is on the way_

_(They said, they said)_

_One by land, two by sea._

_Right there in front of me._

_Help is on the way_

_Right here! Right here!_

The crowd began to roar in delight as both Shadow and Sonic began to shout for the lyrics at this part.

_Right here! Right here!_

Sonic and Shadow looked at each other as they came to the last line they would share as they turned back to the crowing crowds that would always want more.

_Right here! Right here!_

_Choking on the black gold,_

_Upon which we rely,_

_We keep axes in the attics,_

_To see cameras in the sky._

Shadow began to tone down slightly on the playing on his guitar as did Sonic. Both knew the song was coming to an end and both knew that Sonic would not be finishing with Shadow. This song was for Shadow and Shadow to sing, a way for the black hedgehog to let his frustration out for both him and Sonic.

_Help is on the way_

_(They said, they said)_

_Help is on the way_

_(They said, they said)_

_We were told just to sit tight,_

_'Cause somebody will soon arrive._

_Help is on the way._

_But it never came!_

_It never came!_

In truth, Shadow felt that it was true. He and Maria had been told to trust that help would arrive to save them, that Gerald would release the only one that would save them, but it had never come. Gerald had been arrested before he could release the one that would help, at least that was what Shadow had thought.

_Help is on the way_

_(They said, they said)_

_Help is on the way_

_(They said, they said)_

_One by land, two by sea._

_Right there in front of me._

_Help is on the way._

_On the way._

Sonic and Shadow finished the song off with the guitar solos and then powered it out as the beats slowly disappeared and soon the crowd was left standing in awe and then the roars erupted. Shadow looked over at Sonic and nodded his head with a smirk. "Another?" He asked over the roar and Sonic could only smile at him.

"Another." Soon more beats entered the club and the crowds were roaring and dancing as the beats got louder and louder, only decreasing when closing time came around and at this point Sonic and Shadow were both exceedingly tired and ready for an early night.

"How about we put our guitars up and head home. I'll make some dinner, alfredo good?" Shadow turned to look at his lover who was now putting his own guitar back on to its special stand where only he could take it off.

Sonic turned back to Shadow who was taking off his headphone and was nodding. "Sounds absolutely delicious at this point. Simply made too, some noodles, sauce, maybe some chicken, and we're good to go." Sonic said as he watch Shadow hand his own guitar off to be put up and then the black hedgehog walking over towards him.

"I know, that's why I suggested it." Shadow said as he took hold of Sonic's hand and began to drag Sonic out of the club, Sonic allowing it cause he was too tired. "That and I think we should leave now before we're tackled." Shadow said as he glanced to the side. Sonic looked over and saw two familiar pink and green figures and frowned.

"You got that right." Sonic said as he and Shadow both bolted out of the club before the two figures could even take another step towards them.

Sonia growled in irritation as she watched the two blurs run away from her and her brother Manic, anger flaring in her lavender eyes. "How are we supposed to get at him when that black hedgehog keeps getting him out of our range?" She raged as she stomped her foot and growled in her irritation.

"Wow, hold on there sis, we still have one variable that they haven't seen yet. Remember what mom said?" Manic said as a slow grin covered his face and Sonia joined in as the same thought hit her as well.

"Oh I remember." She said as she rubbed her hands together and then grabbed Manic by his hand and began to drag him outside. "Quick, let's get the Temperboards and catch up. I want to see this." Sonia said and Manic was quick to follow his sister, even if he was being dragged.

xHelpIsOnTheWayx

The sky was clear and the stars were out, the crescent moon supplying just enough light for the two hedgehogs to get home safely. Though they did slow down to enjoy the moonlit night and the sparkling stars that shone throughout the night. Sonic's mind wondering to the beginning of the last couple of weeks and Shadow's wondering to his lover's strange twist in attitude and possibly reuniting with his brother by chance.

Neither was expecting to see the lights on in their house or a figure in the kitchen window, most likely at the stove. Sonic glanced at Shadow and met his eyes and nodded, Shadow going inside first as he was the most experienced with mission like occurrences. The black hedgehog blended in with the shadows and stealthily moved towards the kitchen, making sure that his steps were light and made no noise.

When he peeked into the kitchen, he was expecting to see someone hooking up a bomb to blow the place up and destroy the two hedgehogs that lived there, not a purple hedgehog in a white dress literally cooking a meal that smelled delicious. Shadow frowned as he stepped into the kitchen, pulling a Glock .45 from a hidden compartment just above the shelf against the wall there.

He carefully pointed it at the figure at the stove and cocked the gun, the noise startling the person at the stove to stop what they were doing. "Looks like you've arrived home safely, though I might say that the gun is unnecessary."

Shadow scoffed as he stayed where he was at the kitchen entrance, glancing the figure over to make sure they didn't have anything on them that could harm him or Sonic. "I think it's necessary, especially when I find an unknown in my kitchen cooking." Shadow said as he stepped back out into the living room and switched the lights on and then off, waited a second, then switched it on and then back off and then on. A signal that Shadow had to drill into the blue blurs head that it meant that the house was safe and that he could return and or come in.

It was only a few seconds later that Sonic was at his side, but his quills were tense, a sign that the blue wonder was ready to fight if need be. "Oh, but the gun is anything but necessary, especially in a situation of a mother just making a home cooked meal for her son." The figure said and Shadow finally focused enough to realize that the figure was female from both voice and figure. Shadow blinked as he allowed the adrenaline to run through his body and out to calm.

Though Shadow realized that the voice did everything and anything but relax or calm Sonic back down. The blue hedgehog was now stiff, quills almost standing all the way up, eyes filled with fear, love, hate, terror, sorrow, and confusion as he looked back at the woman that stood at the stove and was now continuing to cook that wonderful scent of a meal.

"If you don't mind, could you please set the table and wash your hands, dinner will be ready in a few minutes." She said as she reached over to her left and picked up the salt, sprinkling some of it onto the meal before putting it back down on the counter. Shadow being who he was, nodded and instantly had the table set and grabbed Sonic out of the room and towards the bathroom, the blue blur still very stiff.

Once they were safely inside the bathroom and that Shadow was sure that the woman wouldn't be able to hear them, Shadow turned to his lover and effectively slapped him out of his stunned state. Sonic blinked a few times and touched his cheek, looking up at Shadow in confusion. "Who is she?" Shadow asked his eyes firm and strong as they gazed into Sonic's emerald eyes.

Sonic looked at him, unsure what to say for several minutes before he sighed and laid his head onto the white fluff that was Shadow's chest fur. "She's the one I call Mother." He said as he clenched his fists into Shadow's fur, closing his eyes tightly and just standing there, grinding his teeth as Shadow let him.

"Why is she here Sonic? What exactly does she want?" Shadow asked as he put his hands on Sonic's shoulders, pushing him back enough to look into the blue blur's emerald eyes.

Sonic gulped as he took a deep breath and looked into Shadow's own crimson eyes. "She's here just the same as my siblings. She wants to stop me from going down the path I've chosen. They want me to stay as that sibling they knew that would risk his life for his friends and his land. They want the prince of Mobius to return and rule when Mother retires." Sonic said as he looked at the door with a glare. "A fate I would rather give Sonia then have it for myself."

Shadow looked at the door as well and glared at it hard, if only it was his lover's mother that was at the end of the glare, and then maybe she would drop dead. Only Shadow knew that Sonic wouldn't want the woman dead, just away from him and his knew life. Shadow sighed as he nodded his head and then turned to the sink, turning it on and washing his hands.

Sonic stared at him in confusion for a second before shrugging his shoulders and washing his hands after the black blur. Once they were both done washing their hands, they headed out back towards the kitchen, each dropping their gloves off in their room so they were there when they went to bed. Once they entered the kitchen they saw food on the plates set out and the woman sitting at one of the spots, the extra chair pulled underneath her.

She looked up at them and Shadow was captivated in the most beautiful sapphire eyes he had ever seen and then realized that they were looking at the person next to him. Shadow glanced at Sonic, who was glaring at the woman, and then turned back to the woman, taking this chance to exam her.

She was built in the same way her daughter, Sonia, was, slim and curvy, though hers was hidden underneath the long white dress she wore, a golden belt would be wrapped around her waist from his memory of when she was standing, a golden tiara with an amber stone in the middle of it, her fur purple and falling down her back in long waves that mixed in with her quills. The queen of Mobius was said to be terrifying beautiful and Shadow couldn't help but agree.

Sonic though was standing there, rigid, quills tensed and ready to be used, his fists clenched tight and his nails biting in his skin bringing blood to the top of his skin and flowing down his fingers. His emerald eyes were glowing bright with anger as he stared at the woman that sat at his table, completely calm, hands clasped together on top of the wooden surface and her sapphire eyes staring firmly at him.

"Well, are you going to sit down and eat or are you just going to stand and stare?" Aleena asked as she waved at the seats. That was when both male hedgehogs blinked at the place settings and realized that there were five.

That's when Sonic's eyes widened and he whipped towards the doors just in time to see his siblings ambling into his home without his permission and walking into the kitchen.

"Hey mom! Long time no see!" Manic said as he hugged his mother and then sat down at the table, digging into the meal presented before him.

"Manic, we just saw her yesterday when she told us her plans! It's not like we're not use to seeing her disappear for some random reason!" Sonia said as she kissed her mother on the cheek and then took a seat as well.

"Quite right. You two are used to me leaving for certain reasons, I'm sure now is no different." Aleena said as she laid a napkin on her lap and also began to dig into her own meal.

At this point, both Shadow and Sonic were staring at the three as if they were insane. Neither of them moved as they watched the three royals eat the meal the eldest had made, though when Aleena glanced at them with a raised eyebrow, the two Chaos wielders sat at the table and also began to dig into the meal, which both realized was Alfredo with chicken.

Shadow blinked as he looked down at the meal and then at Sonic who was sitting in his seat steaming with anger as he glared at the woman who sat directly across from him. Though Sonic made sure that he stayed quiet throughout the entire meal, his anger was apparent to both his siblings and lover and the Queen was sure that she didn't miss the several burning glares her oldest sent her way. Once the meal was done and all the food was gone, thanks to Manic, Aleena soon sent Sonia and Shadow to clean up the dishes and Manic to put the dishes away.

This left Sonic with the Queen, who stood from her seat and headed towards the front door, signaling Sonic to follow behind her. Sonic knew it was useless to try and deny the Queen his presence, sure that she would find a different way to get a word with him. So with a heavy sigh, Sonic stood from his seat and followed the woman outside where they stood in front of the door and stared up at the stars that were blinking happily up in the sky.

Sonic was the first to speak and his voice was laden with anger. "Why did you come here? I thought after my medallion shattered that you would leave me alone." Sonic growled as he looked at the woman next to him.

Queen Aleena sighed as she touched her own medallion, the golden heart that was clasped to keep her ever present red scarf in place, trying to get the words to come to her as she wanted to explain her answer thoroughly but thoughtfully. "I came to save you from yourself my son." She began but was soon stopped from talking as Sonic growled back at her.

"I am not your son! You know that! The oracle knows that! Sonia and Manic know that! I'm just an orphan you found out in the desert when you were nine months pregnant!" Sonic growled out as he threw his hands into the air to get his point across.

Aleena sighed as she nodded her head. "You are right, we are not related by blood, but I still consider you my son. My eldest son that would've taken the throne if you had not run away." Aleena said "Though I know you are not my son, we still consider you family and Sonia and Manic will always think of you as their brother. The brother that did everything to keep them safe and help them free their home." Aleena continued to say to an ever growing angered Sonic.

"That brother is no longer theirs and he will never return." Sonic growled out as he turned away from her, growling in irritation and looking at the green grass underneath his red shoes.

"But he is still there. You cannot get rid of him no matter what you do." Aleena continued. "You are the hero of Mobius and you have shown it every time you have faced Robotnik, every time you have stopped him from taking over our world again." Aleena's voice hardened as her eyes became ice cold, not that Sonic noticed. "You are the one destined to both save and destroy our world. The Oracle is right Sonic, only you have the power to do anything." She said as she turned towards her son, laying a hand on his shoulders. "You have a destiny you have yet to complete and right now, you are heading for the dark side of it."

Sonic couldn't help it anymore; he just couldn't hold it in any longer so he let it out. He laughed. Aleena just stared at Sonic in astonishment and confusion as the blue hedgehog held his stomach and laughed. He just couldn't stop laughing at how ironic that was that he was supposed to be heading towards the dark side of his destiny. When wasn't his life dark and dreary? When wasn't something bad supposed to happen and why was it always him that seemed to have something bad happen. Why couldn't Knuckles have to save the world for once, or maybe Tails, or Amy? They were as strong as he was, so why was he always the one going through this crap?

Once he had control again he wiped his eyes that had silent tears glistening in the corners and looked back at the woman he had called mother for a long time. "Oh Mommy dearest, how wrong you are about what I am becoming. I am anything but dark and I'm heading anywhere but to the dark side." Sonic said as he looked up at the sky, his eyes glistening with new determination. "I'm finally becoming whole." He said as he looked back at her.

Aleena didn't want to believe what her son was saying though, that he wasn't turning evil because all the signs were pointing towards that. "But your medallion, the symbol of all that is good in you, had been shattered. That only ever happens for when you no longer have any good left in you." Aleena said with desperation, voice straining. "You let your crystal be destroyed, though you worked so hard to keep it intact all those years ago. Why did you let it shatter now?" Her eyes were pleading with her son now, trying to figure out why he was giving up now.

Sonic smirked as he turned back to his once mother, spreading his arms out as he began to talk. "Is everything black and white with you and the other two? Is it so hard to believe that there could be someone who is grey? There is more than good and evil, there is a middle where everything meets and that's where I am heading. I'll be both light and dark; I'll meet up with my destiny and show everyone that everything on this planet had both evil and good in them. Not everything is black and white _mother_." Sonic spat the last word out with all the anger he could, making Aleena flinch.

"So dear mother, can you figure out what side I'm on now?" Sonic asked as he pulled himself together and let his power flare. A dark aura surrounded him briefly, changing his fur black for a split second before he returned to normal.

Aleena stared at him with surprise, confusion, and fear all reflecting in her eyes. She was unsure of what to say to her son as he turned and walked back inside the house, where yells of anger could be now heard, and leaving her outside in the warm summer night air.

Aleena turned towards the forest that hid away the cliff Sonic regularly went to and stared up towards the sky. Her arms wrapped around herself in a defensive motion as she let her mind wonder. "Oh, what have we done?" The night air never gave her an answer.

xGreyx

Sonia stood at the sink with Shadow, washing the dishes and then handing them to the black hedgehog that rinsed them and then handed them to Manic who dried and put the dishes away. None of them talked to the other, focused on getting the task done without talking, but this plan was ruined when the green spiky haired hedgehog decided he needed to talk and ruin the perfect silence.

"So like, dude, what relationship do you have with my bro?" Manic asked as he put a glass away into its cupboard. Sonia shook her head at her brother but didn't stop the talking, wanting to know the answer to that as well.

Shadow growled as he rinsed off a fork and handed it to Manic a little more roughly than intended, but answered the question anyways. What would it hurt anyways, they'd probably find out later anyways.

"He's my lover and I am his." Shadow said in a calm voice. Everything instantly went silent as Sonia dropped a plate into the soapy water.

"You're lying." Sonia said quietly as she turned to look at Shadow, face contorted into a furious look. "You're lying; Sonic knows he can't have a male lover! He's too be the king of Mobius!" Sonia yelled as she slammed her fist onto the counter, nearly denting it.

"What makes you think Sonic even wants to be king? He has no intention of becoming king. He wouldn't be able to in the first place, he is not a blood born heir like you." Shadow said as he turned to the pinkette, meeting her glare with his own. "He wants to stay here with me and be a normal citizen." Shadow said with a steely voice, obviously stating that the conversation was over.

Sonia though did not get the message and continued on. "So what if he isn't a born heir, no one will care because he's Sonic the Hedgehog. Once leader of the rebellion against Robotnik, the leader who risked his life and his speed to stop the foul ruling of Robotnik that was turning everyone into robots! Sonic will be king because he's the best choice and everyone will be just happy with that!" Sonia growled out, making sure that Shadow got her point.

Shadow growled as he crossed his arms and snarled at the pinkette. "Yeah, everyone will be happy except the one we're talking about! Sonic doesn't want to be king and if he is forced into it with a female consort or lover, he. Will. Be. Miserable!" Shadow stated as he set his feet apart, ready for a fight, his quills stiffening and waiting to cut into skin.

Manic watched this all play out but when Sonia reached towards her medallion and he watched Shadow reach back into his quills to grab something of his own, Manic decided that he needed to intervene.

"Hey now. I don't think any of this fighting is going to solv…."

"STAY OUT OF THIS GREEN HEDGEHOG/MANIC!" Shadow and Sonia shouted at the same time as they turned towards him with glowing eyes that spoke of rage.

Manic gulped and nodded his head as he backed away from the two of them and they went back to glaring at each other.

At this point, Sonic walked onto the scene and caught the two in the middle of trying to reach for their weapons. Sonia towards her medallion and Shadow towards a chaos emerald hidden in his quills. Sonic could only sigh as he used his speed to take away said medallion and emerald.

"Shadow, head for bed, I'll be there in a minute. Sonia and Manic, out of my house before I make you. You have over stayed you welcome." Sonic said as he glared at his siblings, both looking ashamed, though Sonia still had a very pissed look in her eyes. When none of them moved, Sonic lost his already thin patience and shouted. "MOVE IT BEFORE I MAKE ALL OF YOU!" Sonic glared at all three and soon they were hustling to move.

Shadow was in the bedroom faster than you could blink and Sonia and Manic were out of the house just as fast. Sonic went to the front door where he tossed Sonia back her medallion and glared at the three standing at the front of his house. "If I see any of you in my house without my permission again, I can say it isn't going to end pretty." With that Sonic slammed the door shut in his family's faces and locked the door.

Sonia and Manic looked at their mother who wore a forlorn expression. "Come my children, it is time we retire for the night." With that she turned and swept away from the house with her two children following.

xKingx

"A long day for you. Are you alright?" The older voice asked as the younger figure appeared. "I heard of what happened, nothing damaging happened I hope?"

The younger voice sighed as the figure could be seen running their hand through fur. "I'm fine and no damage happened." He replied to his elder though with a tired sigh. "I just want to go back to bed but unfortunately we have to do this before I can do any of that."

The older looking figure nodded his head as he crossed his arms. "I hope this ends soon so that you can sleep in peace for once and hopefully no one interferes in what happens." The older replied and then the light appeared over them, showing the glass that had their arms merged fully and up to their knees on both legs.

"I agree. I just want this to be over so we can continue." The younger replied as they began to lean into the glass, the legs soon meld all the way and soon stopped at the waist, tails sticking out on either side. "Thank god this is almost over."

The older sighed as the light disappeared again and left them in the darkness, letting them take their shadow forms so their real forms could stay in the middle. "I know, soon we will be one and soon we will end everything."

xSoonx

"Ah, here it is! I've been looking for this disk forever!" The shape of Doctor Eggman 'Robotnik' could be seen as he sat in front of his giant computer holding a cardboard box that held several CD's in them. "Now to see what this project Boom is all about." Eggman said as he put the disk into the drive and pushed it in and then sat back, waiting to see what it would show.

Several hours later showed a stunned Eggman sitting at his desks and staring up at the video he had paused it at, showing two figures in two chambers that were slowly combining into one. "I can't believe this! This is the ultimate creation before Shadow! But how is this possible! It can't be!" Eggman said as he let the video run again and then stopped at the part where the two figures combined into one.

"Boom was two creations turned into one." Eggman muttered as he sat back in his seat. "Boom destabilized after a while and separated into the two experiments again." Eggman continued to speak to himself as he looked at the two figures, one was black and one was blue. "To stabilize them separately and to make sure they didn't shut down, Grandpa needed a liquid that would allow that but couldn't make it."

Eggman turned in his seat and pushed a button that made it move out of the room and towards his lab. "I know how to make this liquid so maybe this great experiment will never come to pass. Hooo Ho Ho! I'm such a genius!"

xCDx

A.N. Wow, this is my longest chapter, I hope you all liked it and it will come to explain several things before this is all over and what exactly Eggman's got to do with it and what exactly Boom is. You'll know soon enough, I promise. Review please!

**Song: ****Help is on the way**_** Rise Against**_


	6. New Shoes

Chapter Six

New Shoes

**Fifty Years: Space Colony ARK**

It had been four months since he had to place Boom in his containment pod again. Gerald Robotnik continued to stare into the pod that he had placed next to his next ultimate creation. Both pods held hedgehogs in them respectively. One held Shadow and the other, the obsolete and shutdown form of Boom. Gerald still couldn't understand what had happened to his first creation.

It had been four months ago that a ten year old Shadow arrived in a panic, stammering and yelling in his panic to tell him that something was wrong. It had taken several minutes to calm Shadow down enough to explain what had happened, and by the time that the Doctor understood, they had arrived too late. Boom had separated into the two forms of his original making.

Gerald looked at the form in the pod though, at least he had been able to combine them again, but he had been unable to reactivate Boom, even with the new bands he had fashioned to help hold him together. The black bands held an unstable power together and made it combine to keep a certain being together. He had begun working on them once he had found out that Boom was separating into his two original forms.

The bands had been completed the last four months and the Doctor had placed them on Boom immediately and had tried to reactivate him, only to find that he was unable too. Boom stayed deactivated due to the two unstable creations inability to continue together. Gerald sighed as he turned towards the other pod and checked the conditions that his latest creation was at.

Gerald smiled as he realized that the last four months proved to be a success since the liquid began to drain and Shadow opened his eyes and looked up at his creator with a smirk. "Welcome back Shadow, it is good to see that you have proven a success." Gerald said as he handed the hedgehog and towel and let him dry himself.

Shadow's smirk widened as he nodded. "Of course Doctor, you created me to be a success, so why wouldn't I be?" Shadow asked as he looked towards the pod next to his and then his smirk faded and a sad look entered his crimson eyes at the black and white figure floating in the liquid, no longer able to hold themselves up and left to float.

"Yes, Shadow, you proved a success, but others are not. I have yet to find a way for Boom to become perfect. He will not wake and he will not stabilize, even with the special power bands I put on him. He's deteriorating as we speak." Gerald said as he too adopted a sad look on his face and put his hands behind his back. "I'll have to re-separate them until I can find a way to keep them together; otherwise we'll lose a valuable member of ARK. Not that anyone cares around here." Gerald growled out the last part. He knew Boom wasn't really welcomed, but he had become part of the Robotnik family and the beginning of finding a cure for Maria. He wasn't about to let him go without a fight.

Shadow stood next to him, his eyes dimmed slightly at the sight of his brother floating listlessly in the liquid, but knowing it was keeping him alive at the moment. "Will you be able to stabilize the two and then combine them again?" Shadow asked as he looked at Gerald.

Gerald could only shake his head as his grey mustache bounced with the motion. "I'm afraid not; I would need a special liquid that take years to make and we don't have years nor the materials in the first place to make it." Gerald said as he clenched his fists behind his back. "If only I had what we needed, then we could save him but we are unable to."

Shadow could only watch as Doctor Gerald Robotnik leaves his lab at a loss to do to save his first ever immortal creation. Shadow turned back towards his bother and sighed as he laid a hand on the pod and leaned his forehead against it. "One day Boom, you'll be free and able to move again, one day."

xOneDayx

**Present: Shadow's Cottage**

The morning was glorious, the sun was out, the birds were singing, and the hedgehogs were getting ready for the day.

Shadow stood in the kitchen, fixing breakfast at the stove and humming nonsensically for some odd reason. Shadow flipped the eggs easily; the many cooking lessons from Maria had come in handy to this day. He was just happy at least one of them could cook something other than chili dogs. Flipping the eggs Shadow turned to the toaster to see if the toast was done but hummed when he saw that it wasn't yet.

He was startled though when a shout of horror could be heard in the house. Shadow moved instantly, running towards the front door where he found Sonic, putting his shoes on, well, trying to put the shoes on at least. "This can't be happening! Not now, not now of all times!" Sonic growled angrily, throwing the now torn shoe away from him where it smacked into the door.

Shadow blinked as he looked at the shoe and realized that it was so worn that the front of it now flapping freely from the sole, along with many tears in it as well. Shadow glanced towards the other one and realized that it too was in the same state as the first. "My best running shoes have finally fallen apart, and they had antigravity heels too!" Sonic grouched in annoyance.

Shadow smirked at his lover as he sat a hand on his shoulder. "Just go to Tails and ask him to make you a new pair. He's done it before right?" Shadow asked as Sonic looked up at him with a glare.

Sonic snorted as he stood up and stalked towards the kitchen where Shadow remembered the eggs, dashing back towards the kitchen before Sonic could even enter and returning to them. "That would be wrong Shadow. Tails didn't make my last pair of shoes; I've had those ones for almost five years now. A friend of mine made them specially to last up against my speed back when Eggman was in control." Sonic said as he sat at the table. "The shoes themselves were made of a special material, a metal that is light and yet durable, something that should've lasted thirty years but apparently can only stand up to five."

Shadow glanced over at Sonic who was seated at the table and his head lying on his arms, ears bent backwards, signaling a bad mood. "If they were so specially made for you, why don't you call him up and ask for a new pair?" Shadow continued on in his questioning, wondering why these shoes were so much trouble from the way Sonic was acting at least.

Sonic sighed as he rubbed his head, looking at Shadow's back with a glare. "It's going to be tough getting into contact with him since he's in Mobotropolis and he works with his dad on the new security inventions. He's as smart, if not smarter, than Tails and has been recruited in several new projects and experiments. To have him make new shoes for me could take weeks." Sonic explained as he looked down at the table and growled. Why did his life have to be so tough?

Shadow's eyes widened as this information reached his ears and then returned to the eggs, placing two on a plate and then grabbing the toast as it came up, placing two pieces on each plate and then carrying it over to the table. He placed one in front of Sonic and began to eat his own, buttering his toast easily and taking a bite. "This guy wouldn't happen to be Cyrus the Lion would it? Him and his dad are know all throughout Mobius." Shadow said as he dug into his eggs.

Sonic nodded his head as he too began to eat, putting strawberry jelly onto his own toast and demolishing the eggs quickly. "That's right and not only that, Cyrus helped out big time in the rebellion back then and created all kinds of inventions to help us. He was our main technician back then." Sonic elaborated as he finished off his breakfast and took to the sink, setting it in to be washed later.

Shadow nodded as he too finished his breakfast and followed Sonic's lead. "So if we want to get you these high tech shoes, we'll have to kidnap Cyrus and have him make them, simple isn't it?" Shadow asked as he turned to his lover, who had smacked his forehead at Shadow's simple solution.

"No Shadow, we can't do that, in fact, don't you have a GUN mission today?" Sonic asked as he put his hands on his hip and looked at Shadow with a raised brow. Shadow cursed as he remembered his promise to help Rouge on that battle mission.

"You caught me, but please try not to do anything until we can get you some capable shoes." Shadow said as he began to walk towards the front door, where his own shoes were set. The metal based shoes incapable of wearing out due to the fact that they were made of metal and components to exploit his Chaos abilities and speed. "Be careful and call Knuckles if anything happens. You backups will only work for one full speed run."

Sonic leaned against the kitchen doorway and crossed his arms as he listened to Shadow. Finally he rolled his eyes and nodded his head. "I know Shads, I'll be careful and I'll carry several of the backups until I can get a hold of Cyrus. Just make sure your careful, I don't want you to come home dripping in blood, your own or not." Sonic said as he stood up straight and walked towards Shadow who had stood up too.

Shadow smiled at Sonic and looked down at him, his shoes giving him an extra boost and making much taller than Sonic than usual. "I know, I just worry about you as much as you worry about me. I'll be careful and remember, call Knuckles if you need help with Eggman." Shadow said as he leaned down towards Sonic and caught him in a deep and passionate kiss.

Once Sonic was released, he smiled and nodded. "No worries now get going or you'll be late to meet up with Rouge and Omega." Sonic whispered and opened the door for Shadow.

Shadow laughed as he left the house, disappearing in seconds. Sonic was left to watch Shadow disappear in a blur and then close the front door. Once the door was closed, Sonic looked around the dim room that only seemed to get darker without Shadow being there at the moment. Sonic shook his head as he went to his bedroom and grabbed several pairs of shoes into a bag and then threw a pair on his feet before he left the house as well.

He was only keeping to a seventy MPH speed though, instead of his usual hundred miles per hour. These backups were only regular shoes that were made for normal speed people, not for Sonic the Hedgehog that ran at the speed of light. Sonic growled in irritation as he could already feel the shoes giving out on him, he was sure that they wouldn't last for much longer if he continued to go at the speed he was. So with much irritation, he slowed down even more and was now running at twenty five miles per hour. It would only take him another minute though to reach his destination.

"They're the only ones who have what I need to contact Cyrus." Sonic muttered as he looked around the town and continued to run until he found the familiar van that held the Sonic Underground logo on it. "Finally, found it; now let's hope the password for it is still the same." Sonic muttered as he pressed several buttons on the pad until the light turned green.

Sonic smirked as he jumped onto the van and looked around, heading to the front of the van where the communications panel would be. He grinned when he found it and began to type in the number that Cyrus had given him a long time ago, just in case he ever needed something from the lion. The communications showed that it was ringing and Sonic tapped his foot in impatience and his fingers tapped on his crossed arms for something to do. He was beginning to think it was going to be forever before Cyrus.

Finally the lion picked up the phone with a rehearsed opening line. "Hello, this is Cyrus the Lion, Weapons expert and mechanic for all things built. What can I help you with?" Sonic shook his head as he looked at the preoccupied lion and realized how much his friend had grown. Cyrus use to be a little shorter than him but he was sure that the lion now towered over him. Cyrus wore the nondescript lab coat with a blue shirt underneath and yellow pants. His orange hair was pulled back into a ponytail while his beard hung all over the place and his yellow fur that covered his body was well groomed.

"You know, I was waaaaiiiiitiiiingggg." Sonic said in a tone of voice that said that he was teasing the other. "Otherwise you can actually help me out this time." Sonic smirked when he saw Cyrus jerk in surprise and dropped whatever he was working on. Sonic cringed though when he heard the invention fall to ground and break.

"Sonic? Really is that you?" Cyrus asked as he turned to his communicator with wide eyes and then a bright smile. "Wow it really is the Blue Blur himself, what can I do for you Sonic?" Cyrus asked as he ran a hand through his beard thoughtfully as he looked Sonic over just like Sonic had him.

Sonic smiled at him and nodded his head in way of greeting him. "Good to see you too Cyrus, but this isn't a social call. Remember those super speeders you made me five years ago?" Sonic asked as he looked at Cyrus with serious eyes.

Cyrus cupped his chin with his hand thoughtfully as he thought back and began to nod. "Yeah, the Speeders were made out of super light titanium metal that was found deep in the ground where the ruins were. When I found out it could be used to fashion armor, I thought of shoes that could withstand even your speed. Especially when I found out you were going through shoes like some of the kids went through candy. We needed our secret weapon to be properly equipped so I made those shoes. They should've last ten years." Cyrus said as he looked at Sonic suspiciously.

Sonic nodded his head and then sighed as he looked at Cyrus. "I became faster over the last five years and I guess the shoes could only take so much, even being made out of that special metal you guys found. They tore this morning so I need new ones. Cy, you know I hardly ever ask for anything, but I need those shoes as soon as you can make them. I can't run full speed until I get them." Sonic was now almost pleading with his old friend just so he could run like he was used to.

Cyrus looked at him incredulously and his mouth wide open. "Those shoes were meant to last ten years and you destroyed them in five! How is that possible, that metal was supposed to be the strongest and you went through it like nothing?" Cyrus sighed as he rubbed his head and looked back up at his friend. "Not that it should be surprising to me that you did the impossible." Cyrus let his shoulders slump as he nodded his head though. "I get the panic in your voice though; I'll work on the shoes and send them over as soon as possible. Give me a number and address and I promise they should be there within a week as least."

Sonic smiled at his friend and nodded his head. "Thanks Cyrus! I owe you ten times over buddy. Alright, here's my number and address, give me a call if anything happens or when you send them over!" Sonic said as he began to give the lion inventor his address and numbers. "Thanks a ton buddy; I'll try and call you more, maybe even visit if I get the time." Sonic said.

Cyrus smiled at his friend as he began to pull a pad and paper towards him. "No prob Sonic, I owe you anyways for saving my dad. You better keep in contact this time, I don't want to be worrying about where you went and why. By the way, did you want all the features your last shoes had antigravity soles and powered toes so your kicks are more powerful?"

Sonic nodded instantly as he looked at his friend. "Yeah, if ya can do that it would be great; you wouldn't know how handy those came in on some of my adventures." Sonic said as his ears twitched slightly at a sound behind. "Hate to cut this chat short but I gotta kick or I'll be caught. I'll see ya later buddy." Sonic said.

"See ya Sonic and be careful." Cyrus was able to say before Sonic shut off the communicator and turned around to see his siblings standing behind the driver's seat. Hands on hips and staring at him in question.

Sonic laughed nervously as he looked at them and then back at the communicator and back at his sibs. "Um, I was making a social call." Sonic said as he looked at the two.

"Sure you were, that's why you were using the van's communicator and not your own. The one that has Cyrus's number on it." Sonia said as she stepped over to Sonic and in front of the seats, pinning Sonic to the seats. Sonic could only lean against the seats and raised his hands in front of him to keep from Sonia getting too in his face.

"Yeah and why are you carrying a bag that has at least seven different pairs of shoes in them? I thought Cyrus's special shoes were gonna last at least ten years, it's only been five." Manic said as he picked up the bag Sonic had dropped near the entrance.

Sonic cringed at that but grumbled angrily under his breath about nonsensical things. Sonia growled in irritation as she got closer to Sonic, but her eyes weren't on his face, no, they were on his feet. Sonia smirked as she noticed how torn the shoes looked, though they appeared to be no older than a day. "You're wearing an extra pair of shoes. Backups for when your special shoes have torn. In other words, you did the impossible again; you destroyed the shoes that Cyrus made to last ten in five." Sonia said as she stood up straight, arms crossed and a smug smirk on her face.

Sonic glowered at her and kept his eyes facing away from her, on an interesting spot just below her left foot that looked like that Chilidog stain he had put there one time. 'Guess they couldn't get it out after all.' Sonic thought smugly as he smirked a little but then remembered his situation quickly and looked back at Sonia with a scowl. "So what, I've had to go through a lot since the rebellion, the shoes did their job well for a long time so I don't blame them for breaking down." Sonic said as he looked away from his sister and stood up, getting ready to leave and head towards Tails where he could get his Extreme Gear.

Sonia growled and blocked his way from leaving, Manic quickly getting on his other side with the bag of shoes in his grip. "You're not going anywhere until we get some answers Sonic. We're here to help you from going down that path and you know that." Sonia said as she looked her brother dead in the eye.

Sonic scoffed as he tapped his left foot on the ground, hands on hips as he glared at the two other hedgehogs. "You don't seem to get it, do you? I chose this path for myself, there's nothing you can do about it, and it's much too late for you to help anyone." Sonic said as he began to move his feet apart in a strong stance. "So I suggest you leave me alone now." Sonic said as he disappeared from sight instantly.

Sonia and Manic both gasped in surprise as they began to look around, hoping to catch a glimpse of their brother. "How'd he do that?" Manic asked as he tightened his grip on the bag of shoes, know Sonic was going to come after them. "He couldn't do that last time."

Sonia growled in irritation but shook her head. "I don't know Manic, but whatever he did; he's out of our sight." Sonia said as she stepped over to where Sonic had been, just to make sure he hadn't turned invisible. "He's not invisible; we'd be able to touch him, he just, best I can explain at least, teleported." Sonia said as she looked at her little brother. "He can teleport now."

A chuckle was heard behind Manic and both whipped around to see Sonic, holding his bag in his hands. Manic blinked and looked at his hand that had held the bag and finally noticed it was no longer there. "You're right, I did teleport." Sonic smirked as he revealed what he held in his other hand. "I can use the Chaos Emeralds at my will." Sonic said as the green emerald glowed in his hand with its power.

Sonia blinked in surprise as she looked at the emerald. "But how, Knuckles couldn't even control them back then? He could only ever contain them or move them but not use them." Sonia said in confusion as the emerald began to glow again, showing it was about to release some of its power.

Sonic chuckled again as he looked at the crystal with smile and then at his siblings. "It's because it wants me to use it, I'm allowed to use it because I'm good, I have a 'pure' heart. I was made to use them and because of that, they believe I'm pure of heart." Sonic said as his voice began to distort. "And the only other being that can use them as well as I can is on my side." With that Sonic disappeared in thin air again, an ominous wind suddenly blowing in the van.

Sonia and Manic both looked at the spot that Sonic had just stood in, both watching it sadly and unable to look away. Sonia sighed as she crossed her arms, eyes still on the same spot Sonic had stood, as she addressed her other brother. "What are we going to do?" Sonia asked as she let her shoulders slump and closed her eyes.

Manic looked away from where his brother had stood and instead looked towards the communications panel, his mind whirling as he thought. He put a hand to his chin and his other on his hip, his face contorted into a thoughtful look and tapping his foot as he thought. He still wasn't sure what they were going to do, but he knew where to start. "We need to find out if Sonic was really talking to Cyrus about new shoes. So let's start with calling our ole pal, Cyrus the Lion." Manic said as he walked towards the communications panel, Sonia just behind him.

It had taken a few rings, but Cyrus picked up and used the same intro as he had with Sonic. "Hello, this is Cyrus the Lion, Weapons expert and mechanic for all things built. What can I help you with?" Manic shook his head at the intro as Sonia just giggled a little and they answered the same way that they had since they were kids.

"We were waaaaaiiiiiitttttting!" They shouted and made the lion jump on the other end of the phone as he turned and looked at the two hedgehogs. Behind him Manic could make out the form of what seemed to be the beginning of a sketch of a pair of shoes with notes to the side. "So he did call you about shoes." Manic commented as he looked at his old friend.

Cyrus chuckled and rubbed his head. "Yeah, I had actually just got done with him about ten minutes ago; I wasn't expecting him to call so it surprised me when I saw him. Then I see you two have called me, most likely to confirm that he did call, am I right?" Cyrus said as he leaned against his table and crossed his arms, eyebrows rising as he said this.

Sonia and Manic nodded with sheepish smiles. "We did Cyrus; we're having trouble cornering him. He just doesn't want to talk to us at all." Sonia said as she sat heavily down on the seats that were in front of the communications.

Manic nodded sadly. "He actually wants to finish what he started all those years ago; you remembered what happened back then, right Cyrus. I'm sure you even still have that scar you got from it." Manic said with a jumpy sort of action with his left arm.

Cyrus frowned as he thought about that incident, understanding now why the two were having such a problem with their brother abandoning them like he was. "I can understand your worry and all, but can you really blame him. You guys remember how jumpy he was since he found out he was different from the two of, I mean, more so than usual. He's fast and he could live with that, but after that, he changed." Cyrus said as he sighed and shook his head, putting a hand to his forehead and rubbing it.

The sibling hedgehogs knew how jumpy Sonic had been afterword, how he stayed and avoided them for as long as he could until they were able to corner him and get him to explain and comfort him. Neither wanted that to happen again but apparently he was doing it again, but they doubted they could actually stop him this time around. Manic growled in agitation and clenched his fists, closing his eyes as he looked away from the screen.

Sonia noticed her brother's actions and laid a hand on his arm, looking at him comforting as he looked at her with sorrowful eyes. "I know Manic, but we won't let him go through this alone, not again and not ever." She said as a sudden determination appeared in her eyes, causing Manic's eyes to fill with the same determination in turn.

Manic nodded as he turned towards Cyrus who too had new determination in his eyes as he reached behind and picked up the sketch he had been working on. "I was actually thinking about putting all of my projects on hold so I could make Sonic's shoes and I'm more than certain that I should do this now. I'll tell you what; I'll add a function that will allow you to track him in his shoes. I'll send you the controls and the remotes once I'm done, so you don't have to worry." Cyrus said as he smirked at them. "And you said I couldn't be devious Sonia."

Sonia giggled as Manic smiled at that. "I'm so sorry, I was wrong oh evil and all corrupted Cyrus." Sonia said with a dramatic flair, throwing an arm over her eyes to add to the act. "Please forgive me; I will never make such an assumption again." Manic laughed as he watched his sister, knowing that she was just messing around to release some of the tension.

Cyrus was chuckling at the act too and then looked down at the sketch and then back up. "If I want to get these shoes done fast enough for Sonic, I gotta get working on this right away, so I'll talk to you later." Cyrus said as he reached towards his communications panel.

Manic and Sonia smiled and nodded their heads. "Alright Tech dude, we'll let you go and you can work on your little projects. See ya lion dude!" Manic said with a wave.

Sonia shook her head as she looked back at Cyrus. "Sure Manic, we'll see ya later. Pink Princess signing out." Sonia said, using her code name back when they were still in the rebellion.

"Green Thief signing out." Manic said quickly and smirked as he had come up with that code name all himself, not caring what people thought of it and very proud of it.

Cyrus chuckled as he too decided to use his code name. "Head Yellow Mechanic signing out." With that Cyrus signed off to begin his new project.

Manic looked at his sister and met her stare; both were silent before Manic spoke back up. "Okay, this is bugging me, but did Sonic look shorter since the last time?"

Sonia blinked at this and crossed her arms as she thought about how Sonic had looked since the last time they had saw him, which was the day before. She looked back up at her brother, eyes furrowed in confusion and worry. "He was slimmer and his facial features seemed more feminine. What is going on with him?" She asked as she stood back up and began pacing. "Why is he even going through with this in the first place?" She growled with frustration as she let her arms go rigid at her side and her fists clench.

Manic couldn't really answer as he leaned against the wall of the van and crossed his arms, he was thinking this himself. "I'm not sure Sonia, but all we can do is try and help him."

xPinkPrincessx

Sonic growled as he pulled out another pair of shoes, throwing the now torn ones into the trash can, and putting the new ones on. These ones were black with red stars on the side, complementary of Shadow. "I've already been through five pairs and I have yet to get to Tails!" Sonic grouched as he stood back up and threw the bag over his shoulders as he took off, now determined before his shoes tore again. He took off full speed, knowing the shoes would disintegrate faster but he was tired of stopping all the time. "The faster I get to Tails, the faster I can get my gear." Sonic muttered.

Though he wasn't expecting the 'trip' took as he landed right in front of Tails' garage. Sonic growled as he spat the dirt out of his mouth and turned to take a look at the shoes he had been wearing. They were no longer on his feet, only what seemed to be strips of them were laying around his feet now. "Damn lucky I didn't burn my feet." Sonic muttered as he stood up and wiped himself off. Once he was sure he was clean he entered the house, dropping the bag at the door and wiping the last of the dirt off of his feet.

"Hey Tails, you in here?" Sonic called as he looked around, wondering if his little fox brother was even in. He walked through the house and when he saw that the little fox wasn't there he went to the only other place the fox boy could be. The garage where Tornado was.

Sonic walked to the garage and looked inside to make sure Tails was in there, and once he was sure he was actually there, typing away onto the computer system in the Tornado, Sonic smiled and knocked on the door. Tails blinked and looked at his door but when he saw who it was he smiled and waved. "Sonic! I didn't know you were going to drop by." Tails said as he twisted his tails and flew down to meet Sonic at the door.

Sonic grinned and ruffled Tails hair when he was close enough. "I know, but I just found out my shoes finally wore out and because they were specially made to withstand my speed, I had to call up an old friend and get him to make some new ones for me." Sonic explained quickly.

Tails nodded his head as he put a finger to his chin and though, his eyes closed in concentration. "I understand, those shoes must be made out of metal if they don't wear down like the regulars me and Knuckles wear. I hope you get these new ones soon." Tails looked back at Sonic with a worried face. "Especially before Eggman attacks again." Tails looked down at Sonic's feet, which were still bare at the moment.

Sonic nodded his head with agreement. "I know, he said he'd have them down within two weeks at the most, so I know he's putting as first priority. But until then, I was wondering if I could get my Extreme Gear. I'm going to be using it until they come." Sonic said as he looked around.

Tails nodded his head and immediately went to a door and opened it, showing a room where all the Extreme Gear was held in perfect condition. Sonic blinked in surprise and then smiled, he sometimes forgot Tails' obsession with making sure all of his technology, even those he gave to friends, were kept in top shape.

Tails turned back towards Sonic, the blue blur's Extreme Gear in his hand, along with his glasses he usually wore when he rode it. "Here you go Sonic, and remember, I don't want you destroying it this time. It takes forever to configure the systems in the first place." Tails said as he turned back towards the Tornado, intent on finishing with it.

Sonic knew a dismissal when he saw one and nodded at his friend. "Don't worry Tails, I doubt Shadow is going to be racing me anytime soon, he's on a mission with Rouge anyways and Jet is across the world competing in another competition. I'm sure I'll be fine." Sonic said as he began to walk out of the garage. "Thanks again buddy and be careful at whatever you're doing. I don't want to find out you blew up your systems again." Sonic didn't wait for a reply as he left all together, leaving for the front door where his bag of shoes were.

Sonic looked at the bag as he grabbed the last pair inside and smiled at the coloring. They were electric blue with a white racing stripe on the outside of either shoe. He could actually live with this pair, instead of those pink monstrosities he had to wear halfway through his trip. "Amy is never helping to pick out extras ever again." Sonic said as he shuddered at the remembrance of the shoes.

Once he had the blue shoes tied on though, he threw his gear out the door as it activated, threw his sunglasses on his head and jumped onto the board without a second thought. "Time to fly!" Sonic yelled as he took off into the air with his gear, whooping and hollering as he went.

xExtremeGearx

The lab held all the equipment he would ever need and he smirked as he thought about what his grandfather would say if he ever had the chance to see the equipment held in the room. The old man would've been drooling at the thought of having his hands on it. But now he never would as he was dead by G.U.N.

Eggman sighed as he looked at the test tubes that sat in front of him. All held a different liquid inside of it and he wondered if he could actually make the formula needed. He had gotten the recipe off of the disk that his grandfather had left behind, but would it be enough to actually save the two experiments from being destroyed.

Eggman's eyes suddenly filled with determination as he looked at the recipe again and then began to mix several of the chemicals, hoping beyond hope that it would work. He mixed a final ingredient and hoped the liquid changed to the right color this time and not explode in his face.

He waited several seconds as he watched the bright neon yellow turn to the midnight blue that it was supposed to. He sighed in relief as he looked at it, a smile lighting his face for several moments.

Until he thought about what he was supposed to do next to save the experiment. "All I can do now is just wait." He muttered as he put the chemical into a safe fridge and then walked out of the laboratory. "All I can do is wait." The lights turned off and the lab was left in the dark.

xWaitx

The room was dark again and the two figures that could be seen at this point were standing across from each other as usual. "You know you still actually have to find me, right?" The older sounding one said from his side, a slight quiver could be heard in his voice.

The younger sounding one nodded his head and chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll find you no matter what, besides, I can feel you. You're actually not that far away, I'm just going to see what happens the next few days and hope I get lucky."  
The older one seemed to twitch for a second before he could say anything, or more likely growl out anything. "You're going to rely on luck to find me! How insane are you again? Didn't the doctor give you a brain or are you just a total numbskull?"

The younger slouched his shoulders slightly as he was assaulted verbally. "What would you have me do, search everywhere, go around the world in the last week we have and hope to god that I find you?" He asked with anger clear in his voice. "I can't just disappear, they would notice and we still need to get those stupid emeralds together too! I know where they are but it's going to be hard getting to them!" The younger shouted as he turned away from the older.

The older sighed as he realized that he had just hurt his younger companion, which wasn't actually too hard. The younger one had all the emotions where he was just a slab of stone. "Look, I'm sorry, but your plan of just hoping luck will be on your side isn't sitting well with me. Will you at least promise me you will try and find me?" The older asked before he too turned away.

The younger of the two sighed before nodding his head, not knowing the other hadn't seen it since he was looking away from the younger. "Yeah I'll try, until then though, trust me." And with that, the younger's figure disappeared.

"I already do." The older whispered before he too disappeared.

xFindx

A.N. Well, how's it going so far, think it's moving along okay? I hope it is since it is actually one of the few stories I've put a plot to it. Surprising myself with how I'm changing this thing up is and not to mention how I'm about to portray Eggman in this too! Though I've seen several stories that have portrayed him as the good guy but I wanted to try! I thought it would be fun and you know what, have you figured anything out about this story yet?  
Tell me! I want to know if I'm making this predictable or is it questionable or confusing to you! I want to know! Tell Me By REVIEWING! PLEASE! Oh and did you notice, no song in this chapter either! So weird!


	7. You Scratch My Back I Scratch Yours

A.N. Just so you know, this'll have Sonic and Knuckles singing together so here's a little Info, Knuckles will be **bold** and Sonic will be _Italics _when they sing and together they will be underlined. So there ya go, just a heads up. Enjoy,

Chapter Seven

You Scratch My Back I Scratch Yours

**Fifty years: The Space Colony ARK**

His breath was ragged as he entered his lab, where Boom was contained in his pod. The hedgehog had yet to wake up from his deep sleep and Gerald was positive that he wouldn't, but he wasn't about to let the military destroy him just because they thought him to be an evil experiment. Boom was anything but evil.

Gerald looked back at his door and quickly locked it until he was able to get the comatose hedgehog out of there and away from the military safely. He was sure that if he was able to get the hedgehog out of the colony he would be safe. He wasn't worth searching for since Gerald had filed him under Failed Experiments in his files. No, GUN would not waste their time searching for a failed experiment that couldn't do a thing.

So Gerald typed in the codes needed to release the black hedgehog from the liquid and quickly pulled him from the pod and lay him on a table that was close by. "I'm sorry Boom but it must be done. I'm sure your programming will allow you to come back together." Gerald said as he quickly took the stabilizing bands off of the creature's ankles and wrists, causing the being to glow a bright black.

Soon there laid two small figures, babies that looked at least five months old. Gerald smiled down at the two figures and gently picked them up one at a time and wrapped them in blankets. He then sat them both in small separate containment units, giving each of them two of the black bands each. "I hope you find each other." Gerald said as he walked them to two escape pods placed inside the lab for just such an occasion.

Once each of the small babies were sat in the containment units safely, he ran a hand through each of their fur and quills and smiled at them gently. "I have no idea if either of you will wake or if you'll even survive. You're so much weaker apart, not to mention having to go through all the pain of having to regrow after a separation, but I was unable to stop the power drain when it happened." Gerald said as he looked at them one last time as banging began to happen on the door to his lab.

He looked over his shoulder and saw dents begin to appear on his door but shook his head and turned back to the two babies. "I could not allow you to be destroyed because you were so close to me and Maria and Shadow. I hope you survive Boom and I hope you come together as your programming has been set. Good luck my child." With that, Gerald hit a button and both escape pods closed and departed from the Space Colony ARK. Gerald watched from a small screen that showed the pods fly down to the Earth. "I hope you live." He muttered just as his doors were finally knocked down.

Doctor Gerald Robotnik held his hands high in the air to show that he was unarmed and that he would go peacefully. His arms were roughly pulled behind his back and handcuffed and then he was pulled out of the room, or more appropriately, dragged from the room. All the while his eyes were set on the screen showing that the pods had disappeared and were not noticed by the GUN personal.

Gerald couldn't help but smile as he gave himself a point for winning at least that. 'Now I hope Maria and Shadow have made it as well.' With that last though, Gerald Robotnik allowed himself to be tied to a chair and wait to hear the news.

Gerald though was distraught to learn though that his precious Maria was killed and Shadow was being captured as they spoke. The renowned Doctor did the only thing he could think of to do at that moment. He cried.

'At least Boom is safe.'

xGUNx

**Present: between Angel Island and Shadow's Cottage**

Sonic smiled as he looped de looped in the sky and then yelled in excitement as he took a steep dive before pulling up, skimming the water that was beneath him at the moment. He was ecstatic at the moment due to a recent phone call he had that morning. It had only been three days since he last called Cyrus and he hadn't expected the call for at least another week.

But when Shadow had woken him up and telling him he had a phone call, Sonic had almost told him to shut up and let him sleep, and he had been surprised by the voice on the other end. Cyrus had sounded tired and exhausted, as if he had slept only a couple of hours the last few days, which he probably did. Sonic had been worried and then surprised when Cyrus had told him that his shoes were finished and that they were on their way.

Sonic had sat there stunned for several minutes before leaping out of the bed and shouting out his joy. He was so happy that he would be able to run at full speed again and soon. He was just so excited about it. Apparently Cyrus heard him from the other end, not too surprising since Sonic was yelling, and had told him more good news.

He had made Sonic five pairs of the shoes.

Sonic had stood there shocked even more, but then had jumped again and shouted and then began to tell his old friend that he was a super genius and why Sonic ever thought he was a nerd when they were children was the worst thing he could have done to such a great guy who had saved his butt several times now.

Cyrus could only chuckle as Sonic had shouted happily. Now though, Sonic was on his way to Knuckles to talk to him about something important concerning the Chaos Emeralds. Though Sonic wasn't looking forward to this talk, it needed to be done so he could actually begin on his plans that had been set for several years now. Sonic was not about to let anything ruin it now, especially those so called caring siblings that seemed to want to stop him from achieving his goal.

Sonic performed a back flip on his extreme gear, twisting said gear so that it would flip with his feet and then returning back into a normal position. Sonic still loved doing that, no matter how many times he did it or how Knuckles would complain that he was getting dizzy.

Sonic chuckled as he performed another flip, only to stop as he came to an upright position again, looking down at the ocean in surprise. He hadn't been sure what he had seen but he hadn't expected what he saw there. He slowly floated down near the ocean carefully, not wanting to fall into the water since he couldn't swing and could easily drown, and looked at the object before lifting it up and opening it.

Sonic blinked as he looked at it and then smiled. He just couldn't believe his luck.

xLuckx

Angel Island was unusually quiet that day and Knuckles wasn't sure why. It was actually making him kind of jumpy. Rouge was out on another mission so he wouldn't be seeing her for quite a while, but he was sure that he would be fine until her return. Though at the moment, he kinda wanted her there fawning over the Master Emerald so it wasn't so quiet.

Knuckles grumbled as he leaned up against the Master Emerald and crossed his arms, planning on taking a nap to get away from the unnatural quiet and to pass the time. He knew he had another week before Rouge returned and he didn't see another adventure coming up with Sonic, so he was getting bored. Naturally after all the other adventures he had with the blue blur, you would think he wouldn't want to go on anymore but Knuckles had always loved adventure. Especially after his treasure hunting days.

The red echidna chuckled as he closed his eyes, thinking about all the old adventures he had had with Sonic and Tails, knowing that it wouldn't ever be as easy as those days seemed to be. The adventures were getting more dangerous, the risk higher, injuries were worse and Knuckles knew that all the newer adventures were also affecting their mental states.

Knuckles knew that when Tails had joined Sonic, the young fox had only been five and three years now he was eight. The boy had found Sonic's plane and had painted it and had begun improvements on it as soon as Sonic had given his approval. Though the fox's attitude and Confidence had been built up, he knew that the fox feared losing his longtime friend Sonic, who had given the fox everything. Tails would forever fear for his friend and the dangerous situations that the blue hedgehog got into just made it worse.

Knuckles knew he himself had too changed. He had once been a stickler for the rules. He had stayed on Angel Island for as long as he could remember until he had met Dingo and Sleet, both who had tricked him and stolen the Master Emerald. The two mercenaries had used him to try and destroy Sonic and his siblings long ago when Robotnik or Eggman, had been in charge and when he had been taken down by that same blue hedgehog, Knuckles had begun to leave the island. He had learned that there was more to life than just staying on his island and protecting the emerald. There was so much more and soon, Knuckles became a well-known treasure hunter who was ruthless and not afraid to fight for what he wanted.

When Knuckles had finally met Sonic again, Tails was with him as a five year old boy who was learning the ropes of hanging with a blue blur, Knuckles himself had been surprised when Sonic had introduced the young boy as his little brother and his technician. Though Knuckles could understand why Sonic had taken the boy in when the young fox had hidden behind Sonic when Knuckles had first confronted Sonic. Knuckles had soon too taken to the boy and had given him several helpful tips on how to deal with Sonic. Mostly to know when the blue blur was going to do something stupid again and how to stop him.

Knuckles went further back though, to the first time he actually left his island. It had been to help Sonic, Sonia, and Manic to capture one of the very first Chaos Emeralds and return it to Angel Island where the three trusted Knuckles to protect it. When he had left his island though, he hadn't known how to fly and had taken his plane instead, that was promptly destroyed before they even landed.

They had soon taken off towards Eggman's base where the Emerald was being held in the center to power his floating base. They had gone through hell to get to the center, only to find that the Chaos Emerald had already been taken by Sleet and Dingo. The base had hit the sea and they had almost lost Sonic if Knuckles hadn't swum down and grabbed him.

From there they had begun to track Sleet and Dingo with one of Knuckles tracking devices, only to realize that something terrible had happened. Earthquakes and storms had begun and green lights had begun to appear from the earth. Knuckles knew what had happened as soon as he saw the lights. The chaos emerald had been broken. The Chaos energy normally held in the gem had been released and was wreaking havoc.

They had gone to the seer of the Echidna's and retrieved a special containment unit to put the emerald until it could be repaired. They had to fight a badly morphed Dingo but they had retrieved the emerald and had taken it back to the island. The Echidna Seer praised Knuckles for his commitment to his friends and his guardian duty.

Knuckles had even had a quick stint with Sonia where they exchanged quick kisses and held hands when they ever saw each other between her missions and him just staying on his island and protecting the Chaos emerald and Master Emerald. But that had ended as soon as the war effort ended, soon afterwards. Knuckles had soon left for treasure hunting and Sonia had left for New Metropolis where she began to learn the ropes of ruling a kingdom, along with Manic.

Sonic had stayed with Knuckles at first on Angel Island until he finally disappeared one day, not saying a word to Knuckles before he left. Now though, Knuckles knew the Sonic just wasn't one to stay in one place for long and had just decided he needed to do something and so the Blue Blur had disappeared out of Knuckles life for another two years.

"KNUCKLES!" Knuckles jumped at the sound of his name as he leapt to his feet and got into a fighting stance, ready to protect his Master Emerald no matter what. Though he blinked when he saw that it was only Sonic riding his extreme gear and heading straight towards him at a speed that Knuckles was sure that if he hadn't dodged at that moment, his head would have been disconnected from his neck.

"What were you're doing! You could've taken my head off you stupid hedgehog!" Knuckles yelled as Sonic turned and stopped at the top of the stairs, quickly hopping off of his board and turning his back to Knuckles. Knuckles growled as he walked over to his friend and knocked him over the head. "Did you hear a word I just said or are you ignoring me again?" Knuckles asked but stopped at what he saw Sonic had on his board.

Sonic turned to look at his friend with eyes that were saying him to be quiet. "I need to keep these here Knuckles. I can't let the others find it, especially Sonia and Manic; they wouldn't even hesitate to destroy it." Sonic said as he looked at Knuckles with pleading eyes. "You know why, I told you everything when I started to plan for this and I just can't let this all be lost because of those three." Sonic growled out the last part as his mind wondered to his siblings and mother.

Knuckles could only just stare at the container on the extreme gear. "How did you find these? You said you looked everywhere you could think of." Knuckles asked as he reached into the container and pulled out a black band and looked at it closely, wondering if it was the real thing or if someone had found out somehow about it and made a replica. "This can't be real."

Sonic just shrugged his shoulders as he took the band from his friend and placed it back into the metal box. "I just got lucky." Sonic said as he picked the box off of the containment unit and looked at Knuckles. "Can you take me to where you're keeping the other things?" Sonic asked as he tapped his foot.

Knuckles nodded as he began to lead his friend towards the temple that he had placed underneath the Master Emerald, a secret room that not even Rouge knew about. "Of course, I'm not about to let this be left out in the open, I'm sure your siblings would just assume and take it someplace they thought best." Knuckles said as he tapped several bricks and the door suddenly appeared in front of them and they entered without a second thought.

Sonic smiled at his friend as he was led to the back of the room where a wooden box sat on a table, a carving of the moon and sun on it intermingling. Sonic smiled at the wooden box as he sat the metal box in his arms down on the table too. "Just one more week and then we don't have to worry about hiding these anymore." Sonic said as he looked at his friend, eyes glowing bright neon green suddenly before dimming back down to his sparkling emeralds.

Knuckles chuckled as he turned back towards the box and smiled into it. "You know, I think I'm going to like it when this is all over, you'll be more of a challenge. Not to mention this little thing will be out of my fur and I don't have to worry about saving you're sorry butt ever again, at least that's what I hope." Knuckles said as he dodged a swat to his head. Sonic could only shake his head as he chuckled at his friend.

"You know what; I think I'll let Eggman steal the Emerald next time, just so I can see you squirm." Sonic said as he put a hand on his hip and pointed a finger at Knuckles who was now blanching. It was hilarious the look on Knuckles' face and he just couldn't help but laugh.

Knuckles ended up laughing as well and both just laughed.

That was until a cry cut through their laughter. Both blinked as they looked towards the metal box, Sonic instantly next to it again. The smile that appeared on Sonic's face showed Knuckles just who had woken up.

"And so it begins." Knuckles said as he crossed his arms and left the blue blur alone with an old friend.

xItBeginsx

The club was booming again, bodies moving, people singing along with the lyrics that were being beat out, and just all around fun. No one was standing still and no one was alone, everyone was doing something and moving around like there was nothing stopping them and be truth be told, nothing was stopping them.

Sonic stood at the back of the stage as he was hooking things up, getting ready for what he was about to do to entertain himself and his friends. He connected a wire to his laptop and clicked on the laptop several times before stopping and sighing happily.

"So did you get everything hooked up slowpoke?" Sonic's eyebrow twitched several times as he turned to his friend and nodded his head.

"Of course Knucklehead, why wouldn't I have it hooked up, after all, I'm not the one who blew the circuits last time." Sonic said as he clicked on a button and suddenly the music stopped outside.

Knuckles growled as he crossed his arms and glared at the hedgehog. "One time, one time and you'll never let it go, will you?" He growled out as he remembered the time they had done something similar to what they were going to do now and Knuckles had tried hooking up his own simple laptop to the complex music and video screens. But he had connected it wrong and the whole system had blown out.

"Nope, not gonna let ya live that down." Sonic said with a smug smirk as he clicked another button and suddenly music filled the air again. "You ready cause we're on now." Sonic said as he stepped out onto the stage, Knuckles growling as he grabbed a headset with his microphone on it and put it on quickly as he stepped out onto the stage with his friend.

The disco lights were on and they twirled in a red a blue mayhem as the screens showed a simple cartoon, the background was basic purple with circles of red and blue as Sonic's and Knuckles silhouettes could be seen with two small cartoons in front dancing simply. It was actually quite cute as the little Sonic and Knuckles danced in synch, moving back and forth and doing as they were programmed to do. Clapping began and soon the crowd followed along with the sound of the clapping until Sonic and Knuckles finally began to sing.

_Give me a beat that I can _

**Give me a street where I can -**

Give me a beat that I can dance to

The crowd began to cheer as Knuckles' and Sonic's voices echoed through the club and the crowd all turned towards any screen near them as they watched the video of both Knuckles and Sonic's little ones dancing.

**Give me a rhyme so I can **

_Give the time so I can-_

Give me a rhyme so I can boogaloo

_Give me a boy so I can-_

**Give me a girl that I can-**

Give me a boy so we can have fun

**Give me a choice so I can **

_Give me a voice so I can-_

Give me a choice so I can make one

Suddenly a light highlighted a stage just long enough to see Knuckles and Sonic as they said the first part of the chorus, just to add some effect to it.

I said ooooh

_And the boys were hearing sounds, hearing sounds_

_That they never heard before_

Again the two were lit up on stage for a split second as they said the same line together on the chorus but people were watching as the two figures had leaned to one side with their hands to their ears, as if listening to something they hadn't heard before.

I said ooooh

_The girls were dancing to a different drum_

A picture of Tails suddenly appeared of him hitting a drum and then stopping and holding the drumsticks to his side with a very serious look on his face before the picture switched back to the little people dancing again.

_C'mon girl!_

_Said hey boy, hey girl, girl_

_What you gonna do do do_

_For the na-na-nation_

_Said hey boy, said hey girl, girl_

_Yeah you gotta u-u-use your imagination_

The crowd was all laughing at the little figures as they danced on screen, but many more were dancing along with the song now and were also clapping when it was appropriate and expected of them.

_Give me a rap and do it -_

**Reverse your cap and do it -**

Give me a rap and do it old school

**Give me some cash so i can -**

_And give me the clash so i can -_

Give me my stash so i can look cool

A quick picture showed along with the last line from the two of a mini cartoon character like Knuckles and Sonic's of Eggman just standing there with his huge mustache before the picture changed again.

Ooh!

This time the picture showed little Sonic trying to scratch desperately but was unable to.

_I've got an itch, an itch I can't scratch_

_It's way d-d-down_

_D-d-down on my back_

_Now I'm itching and scratching_

_All night and day_

_Gotta find find a way to make it go away_

The picture soon changed to where the Knuckles cartoon was scratching the Sonic's back before Sonic scratched Knuckles' for him too.

I said ooooh

_And if you, if you scratch my back_

_Scratch my back and forth_

_And I'll do yours_

I said ooooh

_I think a funky president is what we need_

A picture of one of Mobius's older presidents soon appeared on screen along with his daughter before that too changed as well. Back to the mini Sonic and Knuckles.

_C'mon girl!_

_Said hey boy, hey girl, girl_

_What you gonna do do do_

_For the n-n-nation?_

_Said hey boy, said hey girl, girl_

_Yeah you gotta u-u-use your imagination_

A quick intermission before the next chorus showed a light hitting Sonic and Knuckles from behind, shadowing the front of them and hiding their faces as they moved their feet and arms in synch, making it look very professional though many people knew that the two of them had probably just added that into their routine just as a spur of the moment bit, just to make things more interesting for everyone there.

Soon the little cartoon changed again and this time it showed mini Knuckles dancing next to what looked like a werewolf, but was Sonic as a werehog instead. The werehog watched Knuckles a few times before he too began to dance with the echidna cartoon.

Ooooh!

Big foot!

Dance now!

Big foot!

Dance around! Dance around!

Big foot!

Dance now! _(We're singing!)_

Big foot!

Dance around! Dance around!

Big foot!

Dance now! _(We're singing!)_

Big foot!

Dance around! Dance around!

Big foot!

Dance now! _(We're singing!)_

Big foot!

The picture returned to the two normal looking mini cartoons dancing again.

Wooo!

_Said hey boy, hey girl, girl_

_What you gonna do do do_

_For the na-na-nation_

_Said hey boy, said hey girl, girl_

_Yeah you gotta u-u-use your imagination_

Wooo!

_Said hey boy, hey girl, girl_

_What you gonna do do do_

_For the na-na-nation_

_Said hey boy, said hey girl, girl_

_Yeah you gotta u-u-use your imagination_

The little pictures of the cartoons danced for a little longer before the screen went blank and bright blue and red lights lit up the stage to show Sonic and Knuckles standing there, both moving back and forth, Knuckles behind Sonic and Sonic in front of Knuckles. Both moving back and forth in opposite directions so that Sonic only blocked Knuckles when they met in the middle.

_Yeah you gotta u-u-use your imagination!_

_Your imagination!_

Sonic wagged his finger at the crowd as he nodded his head and then jumped right back into rhythm with the echidna before they stepped away from each other and began their simple steps again, legs in and then arms in and then out and then in again. A simple motion that was put into synch by two best friends.

As the beats continued, they finally began to come to an end and they stood next to each other as they finished the beat and the sound of hands clapping in synch for the clapping part could be heard all around the club.

**Uh!**

_Oh!_

**Uh!**

_Oh!_

The music finally faded away and Knuckles and Sonic were left standing next to each other on stage, both had their arms crossed and smirks on their faces as the crowd cheered for them and clapped loudly. "We haven't had this many applauds since we played 'No One Is An Island.' Knuckles said as he waved to the crowd.

Sonic nodded his head as he too waved at the crowd. "I know, but then again, I, Sonia and Manic all wrote that song just to get you to help us out. It worked but we thought we would never get you to help." Sonic said as he turned and walked off the stage, Knuckles right behind him.

"Yeah well, can you blame me, at that time I had never been off the island, so I guess I was nervous and my duty as the Master Emerald Guardian also prevented me at that time. I was too damned committed to doing my job correctly." Knuckles said as he took off his headset, Sonic already had his put away, and looked at his friend.

Sonic chuckled just as a new song kicked on and the he could already hear the sound of people dancing again in the club. "I know, but now you're a great guardian, not to mention friend, hero, and comrade. No one would dare say you were lazy." Sonic said as he turned towards his laptop and began to unhook it from the club's computer and sound systems.

Knuckles nodded his head as he put his headset into its carrier and then looked back towards Sonic who was now putting his laptop away. "I agree, that and I've saved your butt so many times now that there is absolutely no way no one will not love me." Knuckles said with a smirk.

Sonic could only roll his eyes as he stood up and then froze as a cry tore through the air of the back stage. Sonic turned to Cindy; the black rabbit trying to desperately to calm the crying baby in her arms as she walked towards Sonic. "I'm so sorry Mr. Sonic, but I just couldn't get him to calm down since the song ended. I guess he wants you." She said as she looked at him with large brown eyes.

Sonic chuckled and nodded his head as he walked over to the little black rabbit and relieved her of the child in her arms. "Thanks Cindy, I knew I could count on you to watch him until I was done here." Sonic said as he nodded at her with a smile and then turned back to the baby in his arms. Cindy smiled and walked off to find her father to see if there was anything she could help with.

Sonic made small cooing noises at the baby in his arms, making the little one laugh, not to mention Knuckles was now chuckling at the sight as he lifted up both his bag and Sonic's, a diaper bag placed next to his feet. "Wow, now I really know you'll make a great dad when you have your own kids one day." Knuckles said as he kicked the diaper bag at the blue blur.

Sonic nodded his head absently as he picked up the bag and slung it over his shoulder. "So are we returning to the island?" Sonic asked as Knuckles and him walked out of the club, the night air cooling off their heated skin and quieting the once cooing child.

Knuckles nodded his head as he looked up at the sky. "Yeah, and unless you want to explain to Shadow about the kid, he can stay with me as well." Knuckles said as he turned back to Sonic, who held a very grateful look in his emerald eyes.

"Thanks Knuckles, he still doesn't know what's going on and I don't really know if I wanna tell him in the first place or not." Sonic said as he looked down at the waving white arms that came out of the blanket. Knuckles nodded his head in understanding as they continued on their way, ignoring the three figures that were watching them from the darkness.

"So, how many more days do you have to use your extreme gear to get around?" Knuckles suddenly asked as they continued to watch, his eyes glancing towards those in the shadows.

Sonic too was glancing at the shadows as his eyes narrowed into angry slits before he answered. "In a few more days, I'm supposed to be getting five pairs as well. Cyrus really has outdone himself this time too. Those first pair took months to make." Sonic said as he began to walk just a little bit faster, Knuckles keeping up easily without missing a beat.

"That's good, we don't need to have Eggman ambush us and you useless because you have no good shoes." Knuckles said as he closed his eyes and stopped walking. "I believe I can get us to the island now if you want." Knuckles said as he reached out a hand to Sonic to take hold.

Sonic smiled at his friend as he took the proffered hand and nodded. "Sounds good to me." Sonic said as he pointedly looked at the ally that two figures quickly ducked back into, thinking that Sonic hadn't seen them. "We don't need anyone else spying on us after all." He said as Knuckles gripped his hand tightly and they took off into the night sky.

Back in the ally, Sonia sighed as she heard the last bit from Sonic, realizing that they had been caught easily. "Looks like he's better at sensing us then he lets on." Sonia said as she leaned against the brick wall.

"Yeah he is, he even caught me tracking him from down below in the sewers. He got me cornered and dunked into a deep part without me even realizing it." Manic said as he sighed in sadness. "To be outsmarted in my own home, how humiliating." He ran a hand over his face to cover his distress.

Sonia grunted as she stood back up straight, putting a hand to her chin. "Yeah but what was up with the kid? You did notice the baby he was holding, right?" Sonia said as she looked at her green furred brother.

Manic nodded his head. "I did, you don't think it has anything to do with what's going to happen, do you?" Manic asked as he stood back up from the ground, having said down on a garbage can earlier.

Sonia shrugged her shoulders as she began to leave the ally. "I don't know but I think we need to go find mother, she'll know what's going on." She said and Manic was right behind her as they disappeared into the dark.

xHumiliatingx

"We're almost there."

"I know. Just a week then it'll be over."

"Soon we will be combined."

xSoonx

A.N. What do you think and the little cartoon I mentioned in this isn't my idea, go to YouTube and look up An Itch Sonic Can't scratch. It's normally the first one and it's by back2s0ul who's really good with animations. So go check it out. I watch it a lot.

**Song: Itch U Can't Scratch- Junior Senior**

**Um… No One Is An Island was also mentioned in this chapter, it's a Sonic Underground song.**


	8. It Begins

Chapter Eight

It Begins

**Fifteen years Ago: Desert in Mobius**

The night was young and the stars glittered in the sky as a light wind whistled through the air. Not an animal was out but the same could not be said for a mobian, or mobians. Two of them in fact were moving around in the desert slowly, walking calmly and quietly, and holding hands happily.

One was a green furred hedgehog, spikes sprouting from his head and tan fur around his mouth, arms tan furred as well, but his emerald eyes glowed in the night. He wore a white long sleeved shirt with a red vest over and then a long red cape trailing behind, long white pants covering his legs and black shoes on his feet. A golden crown adorn his head as he looked at the figure next to him with loving eyes, gripping their hand firmly in his own.

The woman that held the male's own hand was also a hedgehog, but of purple fur and dark violet spines flowing down her back. She wore a simple white dress that expanded around her very pregnant tummy and a simple tiara with a yellow stone in it on her head. Her bright sapphire eyes shined in the moonlight as they walked in the desert of Mobius at night.

"The night could never be as beautiful as you my dear queen." The green hedgehog said as he brought the woman's hand to his mouth and kissed it gently. The woman giggled as she looked at the male with adoring eyes.

"Oh Alexander, you do know how to be romantic." She said as she allowed him to continue pulling her along on their walk.

Alexander nodded his head as he continued to walk, smiling happily at his life. "I cannot wait for our children to be born. Twins! I am so proud of you Aleena; you will have twins and give us two future rulers of Mobius!" Alexander exclaimed towards Aleena, who could only nod with him.

"I agree, but until they are here, we must watch out for that new inventor. He has been causing some problems for us and we can't seem to keep him in jail." Aleena said as she looked down at her hands; her eyes looked as if they would start tearing up any moment. "I feel that he is a danger to our family." Aleena continued as she looked up at her husband. "He's going to hurt our kingdom and our peace Alexander."

Alexander looked at Aleena with worry but nodded his head in acknowledgement. "I understand Aleena, I will be careful from now on." Alexander said with a smile as he continued walking forward. Aleena watch with a laugh as the man tripped in the sand and fell on his butt.

"So much for being safe Alexander." Aleena said as she giggled softly, looking as her husband sat up and spat out sand with haste.

"I don't even know what I tripped over." Alexander said as he looked at the spot where he tripped, only to see the edge of something metal. Alexander blinked as he turned in the sand and began to dig. "But I'm going to find out."

Aleena watched her husband dig, her hand on her swollen stomach and her other on top of that hand, eyes wide with curiosity as her love dug up what seemed to be a metal box of some sort. The box was about two feet long and two feet wide, and one foot high. It didn't actually look like it held anything in it. The box was made of steel and was sealed tight and Aleena wasn't sure if Alexander would be able to open it.

Alexander himself made sure his cape was behind him as he looked the box over, eyes narrowed as he let his fingers wonder over the cold hard metal, feeling the crevice that was where the lid connected to the box itself. 'I wonder if there is a switch here or not.' He thought as he closed his eyes and allows the feel of the box to become his only worry. It was only a few minutes later that his fingers slipped over a small indentation on the box and a hiss was heard.

Alexander watched with wide eyes as the lid of the box opened slowly, smoke lifting out of it and hiding whatever was hidden inside. Aleena walked up to stand next to her love and looked into the box as well, sapphire eyes gleaming as she waited for the smoke to clear with Alexander.

Both blinked though when the sound of a high pitched wail echoed off of their ears. The couple looked down into the box and realized what was contained within it. Alexander reached his hands into the box and gently lifted out a white bundle that was squirming in his arms. "I can't believe this little one was inside of the box and buried!" Alexander whispered as he looked at the soft blue fur and quills of the baby. The peach fur of the little one's face and stomach was seen, as well as the peached furred arms.

"He's beautiful…who would want to do such a thing to a child?" Aleena questioned as she looked down at the baby too. The little one was still wailing as Alexander rocked him gently back and forth, neither really noticing as the baby opened his eyes slowly.

Though Alexander noticed when the eyes were fully open because the noise had stopped and Alexander was looking into blank white eyes. The green hedgehog gasped and blinked in surprise, only to open his eyes to meet with bright sparkling emerald eyes. 'I could've sworn…' Alexander thought as he looked at the eyes that sparkled with a fire only a child could hold.

"Oh, Alex, we should take him back to the palace. The desert is too cold for a baby, not to mention that it is late." Aleena said as she carefully bent over and picked up the box, though she stopped as she looked into it and reached a hand inside. She soon pulled a black metal band out and turned it in her hands. "Looks like whoever abandoned him left him a gift of his past." Aleena said as she replaced the ring and began to walk back towards Mobotropolis.

Alexander nodded his head and walked beside his wife, but his eyes were on the child in his arms. "Well, young one, looks like you have just been brought into a very royal family." Alexander said as he held the child to his chest and began to rock him gently, hoping to calm the child down enough to sleep.

Emerald eyes stared up at the king as the little one sucked on his thumb, watching the king curiously. He wasn't sure how he had ended up there or who he was exactly, but he felt safe in the king's arms as he felt the soothing motions of being rocked. The baby watched the king for several more seconds before smiling up at him. Alexander beamed in delight and nodded his head at the child. "I have a feeling that I'm going to enjoy getting to know you little one." Alexander said as he and his wife disappeared into the night to head home, now with one more added to their family.

**Present Time: Somewhere in Mobius**

"WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The sound of a very joyous yell could be heard in the desert as he moved swiftly across the land. A blue streak moved across the land, passing by those who were working on farms, those walking in the city, even those who were lying on picnic blankets and having fun with their families.

They all moved out of the way just in time to let the ever cruising Sonic the Hedgehog to go by and cause a gust of wind behind him. All the people could say was that it was humoring to watch the hedgehog move about again.

The blue blur had been out of commission for several days since his shoes had fallen apart, riding on his Extreme Gear. Now they all got to watch as Sonic zoomed by again, trying out his brand new shoes.

Sonic himself was enjoying his new shoes as well. They were almost like his old ones, only that they were even lighter than the others. They fit to his feet as well, hugging the heels and pads, cushioning the impact as he ran, not to mention all the extras as well. The antigravity soles and the small knife in the heel, and then the powered toe tips to add even more strength into his kicks. Sonic was absolutely enjoying him at this point.

He smiled as he ran through a field of flowers, slowing down to a stop as he looked at the simple flowers, sniffing them as he sat down for several seconds before standing back up and speeding it off. "I always have to take time to smell the flowers after all." Sonic said to himself as he enjoyed the wind in his quills.

The run got even better as he was soon joined by his lover…Shadow appeared next to him, running at full speed with Sonic. Sonic himself moved in synch with Shadow as both moved effortlessly across the plains of a desert and then pass Mobotropolis and then headed back towards the Coast Town where their cottage was placed near.

Sonic smiled as his lover took the reins of their run and led him to the Sonic Boom Club and they entered the club together, Shadow having his arm wrapped around Sonic's waist as Sonic had one arm around Shadow's neck and a hand on Shadow's own hand on his hip.

Sonic smiled at Shadow happily as music blared and then the club quieted quite suddenly, everyone turning to the stage that had suddenly been lit up with multicolored lights. Sonic looked up at it in surprise as three of his friends appeared on it, all holding a different instrument.

Knuckles came out with a mic in his hand, a huge grin on his face as he looked at the blue hedgehog. Behind him, Sonic could see Amy on her pink drums, getting ready to play it with all her might. Tails was off to the side, his yellow Gibson Les Paul, smirking as he began to strum the guitar to a song that Sonic hadn't heard before. Sonic smiled though as Amy began to play her drums and Knuckles began to sing.

_Go, g-go, g-go, go, go_

_Gotta go fast_

_Gotta go fast_

_Gotta go faster, faster, faster, faster, faster!_

Sonic laughed as he watched Knuckles sing, excitement in the blue hedgehog's eyes as Shadow grabbed his hand and the two began to dance to the fast paced song, both enjoying themselves exceedingly.

_Moving at the speed of sound (make tracks)_

_Quickest hedgehog around_

_Got ourselves a situation_

_Stuck in a new location_

_Without any explanation_

_No talk of relaxation_

Shadow bent down on one knee and put his hands together in a cupping motion and Sonic instantly ran at his lover and jumped onto the clasped hands with one foot and Shadow soon threw him straight into the air.

_Don't, don't, don't, don't_

_Don't blink_

_Don't think_

_Just go go go go, g-g-g-go, go_

Sonic easily flipped in the air several times before Shadow did a handstand and Sonic landed on the upstanding feet and then Sonic returned to the air, Shadow pushing on his arms as he too flew into the air to join Sonic.

_N-n-n-n-n-n-na_

_N-n-n-n-n-n-na_

Sonic faced Shadow as the two floated in the air for a second, smiling at each other, then both leaned backwards and began to fall to the floor head first.

_Sonic is on the run_

_Sonic, he's number one_

_Sonic, he's coming next_

_So watch out for Sonic X_

Sonic and Shadow landed into handstands, Sonic flipping back onto his feet and disappeared in a blue blur and returning as Knuckles said 'Sonic is on the run' and then met back up with Shadow, both smiling at each other as Sonic proceeded to twist and turn his body in time with the music.

_Gotta go fast, Sonic_

_Gotta go fast, Sonic_

_Gotta go faster, faster, faster, faster, faster_

_Go, g-go, g-go, go go go go_

_Sonic X_

_Gotta go faster_

_Gotta go fast_

_Gotta go faster, faster, faster, faster_

_Sonic X_

Sonic laughed as the song came to an end, jogging up to his friends on the stage and jumping at them, hugging each of them. "That was fantastic you guys! I can't believe you even came up with a song like that! But I have to ask..." Sonic said as he looked at the trio, all of them looking nervous at the look he was giving them, "What was with the X in the song? I don't get that part." Sonic said as he scratched the back of his head.

Knuckles, Amy, and Tails all sighed and then smiled at Sonic as Knuckles spoke up easily. "Well, that is basically because you got a sort of upgrade I guess, you know, new shoes and all and we decided that we would add the X to make you sound better. New and improved." Knuckles said as he looked at the blue blur with bright violet eyes.

Sonic smiled and nodded his head, Shadow smirking at the other three behind him as he nodded his head in appreciation at the three. "That song was great you guys! I loved it, thanks so much!" Sonic said as he waved his arms in excitement. The group laughed at Sonic's antics, all really happy that the hedgehog was happy and excited as this, especially since Sonic had been moping around, not able to run at full speed like he would like.

Amy though, had stopped in mid laugh as she looked at Sonic with curious green orbs, a frown marring her face as she looked the hedgehog over. "Sonic?" Amy said in hesitation and when she saw the questioning in the emerald orbs, she gulped and shook her head slightly to get her confidence back up. "Why do you look different?"

The group instantly fell silent, music had started back up in the club and all the customers were dancing again to the fast tune as Sonic and his friends stood on stage, still as the others also looked Sonic over.

Shadow couldn't believe that he hadn't noticed the changes that his lover had taken suddenly, unsure of how it had happened, especially with the curves that the hedgehog had.

Knuckles knew of the changes of course, especially since he was helping his friend in his mission. Though Knuckles had noted the sharper features of his eyes and the more feminine figure, he hadn't noticed hog his quills had become longer as well sleeker, not to mention his fur had turned a shade darker than what it normally was.

Tails looked his big brother over again and blinked as he thought about how much Sonic now looked like a girl. His chest was much more broader, as if there was something there on his chest, his waist area squeezed smaller and then his hips were bigger and curvier, much like Amy's or Rouge's.

Amy herself noticed all of this, but she also noted that Sonic was standing next to Shadow, standing straight up. Now Sonic was the same height as Shadow only a week ago, now Sonic was a good couple inches shorter than the black hedgehog. His tail was a little longer than what it should be, his legs slimmer, just like a woman's, his eyes sharper and yet soft just like a woman's, and then his face features had also softened and rounded just like a woman's. Amy was sure that if she hadn't known better, she would've thought Sonic was a woman.

Sonic himself looked at everyone nervously, but looked towards Knuckles for help for what was happening. All Knuckles could do at this point was shrug his shoulders and shake his head. "I think maybe we should go somewhere private." The echidna at least suggested as he pointed towards one of the sitting rooms for performers and workers.

Sonic nodded enthusiastically, not wanting for everyone to know what was going on. Though he was sure that Knuckles had a backup story for him, hoping beyond hope that the elder would have a backup story. Sonic was the first in the room due to his anxiousness.

Shadow was right behind him, looking at his lover's new rounded ass that looked like it would be great to grab. Shadow smirked at this thought but then frowned as he tried to come up with a reason for this sudden change, wondering why Sonic had changed in the first place.

Amy and Tails were next in line, both taking a seat on a couch and Knuckles sat in a wooden sitting chair. Sonic stayed standing in front of the room while Shadow took a lazy boy that was sat at an angle next to the chair. All eyes were instantly on Sonic who was fidgeting in nervousness and fear, wondering what his friends would say when he would begin to talk.

Only Sonic never got a chance to start talking as the door to the room was slammed open and Sonia, Manic, and Aleena all walked into the room and instantly surrounded Sonic, eyes glaring at him.

The four others in the room all stared in surprise at the three as they surrounded their blue friend, but then jumped up as they realized that Sonia had her keyboard out and pointed at Sonic in a threatening way.

"Tell us where you hid them Sonic." Aleena said calmly to her son, only her eyes saying that she was there for business.

Sonic growled at his mother as he realized what she wanted, but he would not allow them to get to the child he had hidden at Angel Island with Rouge at the moment. "You are getting nowhere near them! I refuse to allow you to destroy them!" Sonic snarled in fury, startling the four that had known him for a long time. Especially Shadow since he had never seen the other hedgehog in such a fury. The other three though had a couple of times but it still scared them when they saw it.

Sonia growled in her own anger as she pressed a key on her keyboard, a pink laser shooting at Sonic and hitting him in the head. Though it was a very weak hit and only made Sonic growl in even more fury. "Don't do this Sonic! You'll destroy yourself and everyone else on the planet!" The pink hedgehog growled as she prepared to shoot again.

Manic himself twirled his drumsticks as he glared at his brother as well. "Will you really give yourself to the dark side Bro? Don't we mean anything to you?" He asked softly as he continued to twirl his drumsticks in the air.

Sonic growled again as his quills stiffened and stood up. "Of course I care about you guys! I'm not going to the dark side either! I'm just getting back something that I lost." Sonic said as his emerald eyes flashed with anger and rage.

"Have you even told Shadow of what you plan to do?" Aleena said suddenly, her voice soft and strong, suggesting that she already knew the answer.

Everyone blinked in surprise at the devastated look on Sonic's face as he looked towards his lover in horror and sorrow. His quills fell slack and his arms fell to his side listlessly. His eyes darkened as he looked towards the ground, almost in regret. Which was impossible, Sonic the Hedgehog never regretted anything.

Aleena sighed in disappointment as she looked at her son with sad sapphire eyes. "To think you haven't even told your lover what is going on…What has happened to the son that I raised to rule the kingdom?" Aleena's voice was full of sorrow and disappointment. "Where is the son that tried to make his father so proud of him before he passed?"

That got a reaction out of Sonic in an instant. The once lax hedgehog was now back to the furious looking beast from before, only now he had a black aura surrounding him and lifting his quills up into the air, looking as if another Shadow had come to life.

"Father has nothing to do with this! He died before I could even really get to know him! Not to mention that he left before he ever got to know who I really am and what exactly he picked up that night in the desert!" Sonic screamed as his shut his eyes and allowed his aura to flare in the room and cause a gust of wind.

Shadow watched in horror as his love's fur turned black for several seconds before Sonic returned back to his normal ocean blue color. Shadow had heard of when Sonic had gone dark, but had never seen it before and now he never wanted to see it again. The sadness and fury he saw in the loved emerald eyes as Sonic tapped into that dark power, it frightened Shadow.

Knuckles watched in worry as Sonic tapped into the power he held and hoped that Sonic didn't hamper his mission because of that. He really wanted his friend to feel happy again, even if he technically disappeared from the earth when he did.

Amy and Tails were holding to each other in fear as Sonic turned, both having seen it before and both were still terrified as they watched their friend go dark from such devastating emotions.

The royal family all watched in horror at what was happening to the blue hedgehog. None of them were sure of what to do at the moment and Sonia even let her Keyboard fall to her side and hangs on the strap that was wrapped around her shoulder. Aleena was staring in wonder and horror at her son while Manic had dropped his drumsticks and was gaping at his older brother.

Suddenly though all the power disappeared within an instant. Sonic was left standing there with his eyes watering with tears and his cheeks wet from falling tears. The sound of Sonic sobbing in front of everyone in the room shocked Shadow since he knew that Sonic hated crying in front of anyone but him.

"Papa was my world as much as he was yours Aleena, but I will not live a life where I cannot feel like I am whole just so I feel like I'm making him proud." Sonic said through his sobs and tears. "I will make my choices, whether it makes you or Papa proud." With that, Sonic disappeared through the door and out of sight, leaving a very shocked room of Mobians.

Shadow was the first to come back to earth and the first thing he did was zoom in front of Aleena and growl in fury. Aleena stared at him in surprise, not expecting the hedgehog to step in front of her like he had. "You have ruined everything!" Shadow yelled at the queen, startling her out of her own shock.

She raised an eyebrow at the black hedgehog in curiosity and surprise. "Oh, and how have I done that?" She asked calmly, her voice betraying none of her fear from earlier.

Shadow growled again at the calm attitude and instead glared at her hatefully. "I had just gotten him to relax, to let his worries go! I was almost getting there for him to tell me what he was planning! Now you have made him tense and secretive again! You have ruined everything and now I have to do damage control!" Shadow yelled as he turned his back on the queen, only leaving on last thing as he disappeared. "I don't want you anywhere near him if you can elicit such a reaction out of him. I think you have hurt him and caused enough damage already, so leave." With that Shadow disappeared in his own black blur, heading after his lover.

Everyone else in the room was left staring at the spot where at Shadow stood seconds before. No one moved for several seconds as they let it soak in of what had just happened.

Knuckles was the one to act first and all he did was laugh.

Everyone stared at him in surprise as he put his hands on his hips and stared at the three royals. "You three have really screwed up now and you've run out of time." Knuckles said as he looked at them with sparkling violet eyes. "You'll never be able to stop him now." Knuckles continued as he began to leave the room, leaving behind five stunned people.

"What do you mean we've ran out of time!" Sonia yelled as she tapped her Keyboard and sent it back into its medallion. Her face was showing her fear and worry as Knuckles' words sunk in.

"Yeah Knucklehead, like what are you talking about? We should've had another two days!" Manic yelled as his drumsticks disappeared too into his medallion.

Knuckles stopped at the doorway and looked at the two siblings and shook his head in a negative. "I gave you false information…" Knuckles crossed his arms over his chest and stared at them with sad eyes and yet determined ones as well. "Sonic wants this and keeping him from this is only hurting him more. You cannot stop something that he was designed for." With that said Knuckles walked out of the room leaving everyone very confused and lost.

The only one who understood was Queen Aleena, who had her hands in front of her and clasped at her stomach, staring in sorrow at the door. "I believe he is right, we are too late to stop my first baby boy." Tears fell down the queen's face as she looked out the door sightlessly, not even noticing as her other two children hugged her tightly or the other two friends of her son left the room.

She could only think of the betrayed and sorrowful look in her adopted son's beautiful emerald eyes. Eyes that reminded her of her deceased husband as well.

xGottaGoFasterx

He had to move fast, he was already running on a time limit and he wasn't about to let it all fall pass after everything he had been through.

Especially since he could feel the tears running down his face from his last confrontation with his mother. He had been hurt when she had used his Papa against him, the person who had found him and taken him in. He hadn't wanted to let that man down and he thought he hadn't since he had always followed his heart, just like the man had told him to do when he was four months old, just before he died.

Sonic yelled out into the wind as he ran, ignoring the winds that whistled pass him as he yelled. He let out all of his sadness, frustration, fear, rage, fury, sorrow, and horror into that scream as he continued running. He didn't once let his hate consume him and continued to run so he could get to Angel Island again. To get to the child that was waiting for him there with a white bat. He wasn't about to let that child suffer anymore since he had awoken. They were going to do this and become happy again and screw anyone else who made him hurt now.

Sonic the Hedgehog no longer wanted to feel the emotions he was at the moment. Even though he still loved Shadow, loved his friends, felt happiness as he played with them all, lust for when he stared at Shadow, and confidence for whenever he took out Eggman. Even though he felt so many happy emotions, he couldn't stand feeling all the negative emotions; especially when he lost control of all of his power.

Sonic blinked as tears continued to fall down his face as he continued to run. He wasn't going to stop anytime soon and the only thing that would stop him now was if he was attacked by someone or something.

That was when he felt something wrap around his waist and he was thrown to the ground roughly, landing and rolling across the earth from the speed he was going. Sonic went to get back up and continue running, but was stopped when something topped him and held him down, preventing any real movement from him and keeping him pinned.

Sonic growled in fury as his eyes lit up with a fire that made his emerald eyes glow. "Get off of me!" Sonic yelled as he bucked his hips, trying to dislodge the person holding him down. He struggled for several seconds before a pair of soft lips covered his own and Sonic instantly relaxed; he recognized those lips.

Shadow carefully pulled away, making sure that Sonic wouldn't be able to get away and making sure that Sonic was indeed calm down enough not to escape in the first place. Once Shadow was sure that Sonic was calm, he began to talk, not letting Sonic get a word in. "What the hell did you think you were doing when you lost control in there! Do you know the damage you could've done if you lost full control or the risk you put yourself at using that power! I've never felt such anguish from you Sonic, what the hell was going on!" Shadow asked as his crimson eyes began to gleam with worry and sorrow for his lover.

Sonic stared at his black hedgehog with regret but then shook his head. "I don't have time for this Shadow, let me up now." Sonic whispered, but his voice said he was completely serious at the moment.

Shadow glared and snarled at Sonic in anger as he realized that Sonic wasn't going to answer his questions that he wanted answered. "No, you are not getting up until I get some answers!" Shadow growled out as he watched Sonic's own emerald eyes narrow in his own anger.

"I don't have time for this Shadow, let me up, I have to get going!" Sonic said as he began to wiggle again, only for Shadow's grip on his arms to tighten.

"No, you aren't going anywhere. Now tell me what the hell is going on with out and your family!" Shadow snarled again, tightening his grip as Sonic continued to struggle with new strength. Sonic glared up at Shadow in a rage that hadn't been directed at the black hedgehog since the first time they had met and Shadow had caused Sonic to get arrested and thrown in jail.

"I can't explain right now Shadow! I have to get to him before it begins!" Sonic yelled as he began to yell even more and struggle in a fierce determination to get away.

Shadow growled when he realized that Sonic was heading for someone else, another man that could possibly take Sonic away from him! He wasn't about to let that happen! "To who Sonic; is it another man, am I not good enough for you anymore!" Shadow questioned as his eyes filled with fear.

Sonic instantly stopped struggling as he looked up at Shadow in surprise and only seconds later was he lying in the grass…laughing. Shadow stared at him in shock as his lover laughed, wiggling only slightly as he laughed as hard as he possibly had in months maybe even years.

"Shadow, I can't believe you just said that." Sonic said as he look up at his lover, love and happiness shining in his eyes as he looked at the startled crimson eyes in front of him. "I'm not leaving you, I could never leave you." Sonic said as he leaned up and kissed Shadow gently, shocking the Ultimate Life Form out of his state of shock. "What if I told you I could bring Boom back to you?"  
The question so startled Shadow that the black Hedgehog jumped slightly and then stared at Sonic in confusion. "What do you mean?"

The only answer he got was when he got flipped onto his back, Sonic now standing in front of him, holding a hand to help him stand up. "Get up and I'll show you."

Shadow looked at the hand in front of him, remembering the words the Oracle had given him that night that seemed centuries ago. Could he really give Sonic up for Boom? 'No, I never could, but I will go with him nonetheless.' Shadow thought as he took the hand and stood up with Sonic.

Sonic smiled at him and then took off, heading in the direction of Angel Island, Shadow right behind him the entire way.

xLetMeShowYoux

"The time has come." He said to his computer screen, his hands clasped together in front of him as he watched the two hedgehogs run towards Angel Island. "I need to get going if I want to get there in time." Eggman said as he stood up from his seat and walked out of his lab. "I can't let him destroy everything he's done and I can't let him destroy himself."

Eggman walked down several halls in his HQ, only stopping as he came to a door and typing in a password, his mind miles away as he walked into the room and picked up a vile with a blue substance. "This time, I'll be the hero." Eggman whispered to himself as he walked out of the lab, hands held in front of him with the vile filled with the mystery liquid that shined in the artificial light.

xI'llBeTheHerox

A.N. Well, this story is coming to a close and you won't believe what I have planned for the ending either. It will be really close and I might give it an alternate ending as well. You know with the whole happy ending and then the sad ending where it takes everyone a while to move on. But you know what I mean, I'm sure you all have a brain so yeah. Review please!

**Song: Sonic X Theme Song**


	9. It Ends

Chapter Nine

The Ending

**Fifteen years Ago: Mobotropolis Palace**

The kingdom was dark as rain and thunder appeared outside, soaking anyone to the bone as soon as they took a step outside. No one wanted to remain in the cold much longer and so everyone retreated to their houses, all awaiting for news on their beloved King who had fallen ill a week ago and had yet to recover.

Aleena sat next to her husband on their bed; their children all tucked around the king as he breathed shallowly and looked at his queen sadly. "I do not know what to do anymore Alexander." Aleena said as tears began to fall down her face, fear clouding her beautiful sapphire eyes.

Alexander smiled sadly as he lifted his hand weakly and laid it against his beloved queen's face. "I know Aleena, I know. I fear that you will be left to raise our children yourself and to rule the kingdom by yourself as well. I do not wish to leave you like that but I fear I no longer have a choice." Alexander said as a few tears leaked from his own eyes as they turned to the three bundles around him.

"You must take care of Manic, Sonia, and Sonic. They will all turn into great rulers one day." Alexander said as he laid a hand on blue fur that was so out of place among the green and pink but the Emerald eyes that the little one had held strong along Alexander's own. "Sonic will be a great leader, I can tell just by looking at him."

Aleena looked at the three little ones with happy smiles as well, knowing she would do anything to make them happy. "Sonic, the one we found those months ago in the desert. He has grown wonderfully in the four months that we've had him, I am sure he will show his colors as a brother when he is older." Aleena said as she let a hand trail through the short blue quills.

Sonic giggled at that and freed his hands enough to wave them around in the air excitedly at his adoptive parents. Alexander smiled at him and allowed one of his fingers to be taken by the little blue hedgehog and sucked on, making Sonic quiet slightly and relax, now just looking at his parents.

"Sonic my son," Alexander began to say as he felt his eyelids begin to droop, his energy leaving him, "Protect your siblings, led them to become great rulers." He could feel his life finally leaving him now; it was his time to go. "Follow your dreams, follow your instincts, and do not allow anyone else to hamper you ambitions. Do what you believe is right, do what you believe will make you happy." Alexander said as he turned towards his wife who now knew his time had come.

"Aleena, be strong, for when I leave, you will be all that is left to stop that man." Alexander said as he allowed his eyelids to cover his emerald eyes slowly, trying to say what needed to be said. "Help Manic and Sonia in life, they will need you the most. Allow Sonic to spread his wings when he is ready for his is the stronger of the three." Alexander continued as strongly as he could before his time was up.

Aleena was nodding her head as she listened to her husband, tears falling down her face quickly as she watched the life leave her husband's eyes. "Sonic will help our children in the future, for he has blood that belongs to us not. Raise him well Aleena and do not allow Robotnik to control you." Alexander said as he fought to take his queens hand in his own and when he finally accomplished that he smiled at her with love. "Tell them that I loved them Aleena, please tell them that I loved them with everything that I had. I love you dear Aleena and I will never truly leave you."

With those final words, Alexander finally allowed his eyes to close and slip away from his body, leaving Aleena crying at the lose she felt all of a sudden.

Sonic watched his adoptive mother cry as he continued to suck on the finger of the man that had taken him in. Though he wasn't sure why he felt so sad, he knew that something had happened. Sonic began to cry himself as he began to feel a sudden lose as well, his mind crying out in denial at the void that had suddenly appeared.

As Sonic began to cry, Manic and Sonia also began to cry as well, feeling the sadness in the air and the loss that both Aleena and Sonic felt. All three babies cried as Aleena too cried, unable to take the babies in her arms right away as she mourned the loss of her husband and the king of Mobius.

Aleena had no idea that she would soon lose her children as well as Robotnik laughed in his lair, knowing that the king had finally died from the poison he had left in the king's food. He would soon take over Mobius and make it into something that he well and truly thought would make a better and perfect world.

**Present: Angel Island**

He had arrived at Angel Island before Sonic for once, but he knew why and he couldn't really hold it against the blue blur. Knuckles waited on top of the temple that held the Mater Emerald, arms crossed as he waited for Sonic to arrive so they could begin and end it once and for all. To end the pain that Sonic had suffered for so long since he had been activated fully.

Knuckles listened to the cries of the little one down below with Rogue, knowing that the little one knew that something was about to happen and that he was exceedingly excited by it. Not that Rogue knew that since she had no idea what she held in her hands.

Knuckles could only smirk as he realized that he had tricked the bat herself for once, keeping information from her was a hard task in itself and tricking her was impossible most of the time, even though Knuckles had Sonic on his side most of the time it still proved to be hard to trick her and keep anything away from her.

Knuckles frowned as the wind began to blow across the land quickly, as if being pushed aside by some monstrous force. 'It's going to begin soon.' Knuckles thought to himself as he looked towards the right where he felt two Chaos forces heading straight for him and his temple. 'So you have finally arrived Sonic.' Knuckles thought as he moved down the steps of the shrine before heading towards the hidden room where the little one awaited with Rogue.

By the time he entered the room fully to find Rogue playing with the little black hedgehog; Sonic arrived with Shadow right behind him. "Bout time you got here slacker, we've been waiting to start this for a while now." Knuckles said as he turned towards the blue blur.

Sonic nodded his head as he looked towards the little baby that was now staring at him with golden yellow eyes. "Sorry, we needed to talk and I needed to explain a little to Shadow about what's going on." Sonic said as he walked forward and picked up the child that was reaching his arms towards the hero.

Knuckles nodded his head as Rogue came to stand next to him, her eyes confused to what was going on. "That's fine, but the force of the Chaos energy is starting to pick up, I have all the emeralds in place, I fear they will not wait much longer."

Sonic turned towards him, the little black hedgehog with the white muzzle and white belly also looked towards him over Sonic's shoulders, emerald and sapphire eyes staring at the echidna. "I understand, but we must wait a little longer. The time is not right just yet and they will soon be here. You know they must witness this as much as Shadow and Rogue, to know the way they have wronged me…how they have wronged us." Sonic said as he looked back down to the little one he held.

Shadow blinked as he looked at the little baby hedgehog that his lover held, wondering where it had come from. The hedgehog looked like a little replica of Sonic, only smaller and in different hues, another thing that Shadow noticed was that its eyes continued to change colors in a constant way. The sapphire eyes he was looking at for example had now changed to a dull crimson color, as if a ruby was dirty or blood had dried.

Sonic turned towards Shadow more fully, a soft smile on his face as he walked towards the Ultimate Life Form to stand right in front of him. "Shadow, I would like you to meet Lightning; he is in a sense, my little brother." Sonic said as he nuzzled Lightning with his nose against the little one's cheek.

Shadow looked on at the little action, realizing how close Sonic actually felt for the little baby in his arms, but he was unsure of how Sonic knew the little, especially since Sonic himself was an orphan that had been adopted by Aleena. He also knew that Aleena hadn't given birth to any new heirs and with that knowledge, Shadow was left in a world of confusion.

"I'm really confused Sonic, what is going on here?" Shadow asked, his brows furrowed in thought as he continued to look at Lightning.

Sonic smiled at his lover, knowing that what was going to happen would shock and surprise Shadow beyond belief. "Did the Good Doctor ever tell you that Boom was the creation of two experiments combined into one?" Sonic asked suddenly as he looked Shadow straight in the eyes.

Shadow blinked in surprise at the question, not know exactly what to say to this at all. "No, he did not. All I know is that Boom malfunctioned because of a missing part of his biology that the Doctor was unable to create." Shadow replied, his eyes confused and now tinted with worry as he watched Lightning stare at him with glowing yellow eyes that had a hint of familiarity in them. He knew those eyes, but he was unsure of where he had seen them before.

Sonic nodded his head at Shadow, smiling at him proudly at remembering this information after so long. "That is correct Shadow, but even now that material has still been out of reach to researchers trying to complete the fable experiment Boom." Sonic said as he rocked the baby in his arms slightly so it would calm down and be patient, they still had a while yet to go. "The material was a special liquid made out of a material called Liquid Chaos." Sonic said as he nodded towards Knuckles who nodded back at him.

Shadow blinked at this interaction, but knew he was to listen to Knuckles now as Sonic took a bottle of milk from Rogue to feed the child. Knuckles own violet eyes were on Sonic as he too watched Sonic feed the child.

"Liquid Chaos," Knuckles began, his voice soft and strong at the same time, "Is a material that you can only ever get from the Chaos Emerald and it is a rather tiresome extraction to have done." Knuckles sighed as he said this, rubbing a hand over his face. "Only those who have great knowledge of the Chaos Emerald and Scientific knowledge can even try and do the procedure. I, even with my great knowledge of the Emerald, am unable to do the procedure." Knuckles said as he turned and looked at Rogue who was staring at him in surprise.

"When the liquid is obtained, it is then synthesized with several other materials at once using over 1,000,000 watts of electricity or lightning. Once it has been synthesized, it is then left to procure to the correct potency for a month, only then would it do anything to the two experiments that Boom is made out of, to help keep the two stabilized for the rest of their lives, as separate beings." Shadow stared at Knuckles in shock as he realized that the Echidna knew about Boom and what exactly was needed to keep the two beings separate. The only question was how the Echidna knew.

"Knuckles…" Rogue said quietly as she looked at Knuckles with worry and confusion, unsure of how to take this part of Knuckles who had tricked her with this new information. "What does this all mean?" She asked as she looked at him with even more confusion as he looked at her with eyes that spoke of all the love he had for her.

Sonic at that point blinked as a tingling sensation began to enter his body, signaling that it was time. "Knuckles, we have to go to the Emerald, it is time to start." Sonic said as he began to leave the temple's secret room, his hips swaying just like Rogue's and catching Shadow's attention instantly, Shadow wanted to devour him entirely.

Knuckles nodded his head as he began to leave the room, arms crossed, but stopped when he realized the two other Anthrops were not following him. Knuckles looked over his shoulder and growled at the dumbstruck looks on the other's faces and turned and looked at them. "Well, are you just going to stand there like dumbstruck fools or are you going to follow and watch as Sonic finally reunites with himself."

Shadow and Rogue blinked in surprise and looked at each other and then back towards Knuckles, who had at this point left the room to follow Sonic. "Guess we should get out there." Shadow said as he began to walk out as well, Rogue not too far behind.

"Agreed, I want to see what Knuckles has successfully hidden away from me anyways." Rogue said as she stepped outside, only to cover her face as a strong wind hit her full on, Shadow also covering his face as he was too surprised not to.

"Well, whatever is happening, it is causing a ruckus." Shadow said as he walked towards the front of the temple, coming to a stop at the bottom of the stairs to watch as Sonic and Knuckles walked all the way to the top, the little cries of excitement from the baby could strangely be heard from the baby in Sonic's arms and the wind began to whip around even harder.

"What do you think is going to happen?" Rogue asked as she began to rub at her arms to try and warm up from the chilly winds around her, ignoring how her hair was whipping in her face as well.

Shadow shrugged his shoulders and shook his head in answer. "I'm not quite sure but whatever it is, I think we're about to get first row seats to a real show." Shadow said as he continued to watch Sonic approach the Master Emerald.

Up top on the temple, Knuckles stood next to one of the Chaos emeralds as he watched Sonic stop to stand in front of the Master Emerald, already knowing what would happen next. Knuckles shook his head as he walked over to Sonic, beginning to clap the black bands onto the blue blur's wrists and ankles. "Are you sure you're ready for this Sonic, you know you'll fall apart again ten years from now." Knuckles said as he let a tinge of fear and worry into his voice, watching as Sonic carefully touched the Master Emerald with his free hand, ignoring the odd wait from the bands now clasped on his appendages.

Sonic looked over his shoulder and smiled at his longtime friend, knowing that without Knuckles he wouldn't be where he was at that moment, holding his other half and preparing to become the true ultimate being. "I'm ready my friend, I've been ready for five years. That and I'm sure Lightning does not intend to wait another fifteen years before we can do this again." Sonic replied as he pressed his hand into the Emerald, his gloved hand actually sliding an inch within the hard surface.

Knuckles gulped and nodded his head as he watched as a light shoot from the emerald and hit each Chaos Emerald, causing them to light up and project a barrier around the temple, keeping everyone else out and beginning to push Knuckles out as well. "Be careful my friend." Knuckles said as he allowed the energy to push him away from what was beginning to happen to his friend and the small child.

Sonic smiled and nodded his head as he returned his attention to the emerald and removed his hand once Knuckles was safely out of the Chaos Zone.

"Time for this to begin little one." Sonic said as he looked down at a glowing Lightning who was giggling happily, his eyes glowing pure white as he looked up at Sonic with excitement.

xChaosZonex

Sonia shivered slightly as she stood in the spot that Sonic had left her in at the club, wondering if it was too late to save her brother. Manic too was in the same state and also wondering if he could really save his brother.

Queen Aleena just stared calmly at the ground, regretting what she had said about her loved Alexander and realizing that Sonic remembered much more than she thought he would of the man that had brought him into their family. What was she to do now though since Sonic had made it perfectly clear that he didn't care anymore what they thought since he had made the decision to ruin his life.

It was Tails though that finally broke the silence as he looked towards the three that had ruined such a fun night for the whole Heroes team. "Who are you and how in the world could you upset Sonic like that?" Tails yelled at them, causing them to flinch.

Amy now too joined in with Tails, getting knocked backed to reality by Tails shouting. "Yeah! Tails is right! You have done nothing but hurt Sonic since you got here and you even caused him to go dark! That is a very bad thing to do!" Amy scolded as she glared at the three, her eyes though was landing on Aleena's crown and on the medallions that they were.

"You should find him and apologize to him now! He's done everything for Mobius and this planet and for you to hurt him like that, it's just unforgivable!" Tails continued to scold but stopped as Amy laid a hand on his shoulder, garnering his attention.

"Tails, that's Queen Aleena." Amy said as her sea green eyes glared at the woman with hate. "So I'm guessing those two are her heirs, Manic and Sonia, meaning that their Sonic's siblings." Amy said as she glared even harder at the trio.

Tails blinked at this new information and could help but cringe as he realized that he had been telling off the queen of Mobius for ticking off a hero when her view was mostly the one people would take their side on, knowing her tactical skills and public speaking would win almost anyone over. He had even seen several showings of her speaking with ambassadors and persuading them to create a treaty, causing them both to become stronger but Mobius always a step ahead and winning any war that came.

"I can't believe we just told off one of the most powerful people in Mobius." Tails said as he began to back up and away from the queen, unsure of what she was going to do now.

Amy though shook her head as she began to walk away. "It's not our problem Tails, we need to go and find Sonic as soon as possible. Even with Shadow, I'm sure he's going to need all the reassurance he can get." Amy said as she walked right out of the room, leaving the three royals alone with Tails who was not quite sure he should leave just yet.

"Um can you three tell me why Sonic is so mad at you? I've never seen him that mad at anyone before and it kind of worries me." Tails said as he began to fidget and wait for an answer.

It was several long moments before tails began to contemplate whether he should just leave it and high tail it out of there when someone finally spoke up. Surprisingly it was Manic who was the one to speak.

"We left him alone, we left him high and dry, and we turned our backs on him when he needed us the most. We left him by himself when he could've helped him, but left him to deal with it on his own." Manic said as he turned away, hiding his watering eyes and shame from the others.

Sonia growled in frustration as she thought back on that time when Sonic had needed them, after that…woman had appeared and then disappeared, leaving her mark on Sonic as she left with her husband. "It was so long ago, back when the war was still going on, when all three of us were still looking for mother." Sonia said as she slammed her hand into the wall.

Aleena and Tails both looked at Sonia in surprise, Manic already knew her reaction though to the woman hedgehog that had entered their lives so long ago and then left just as quickly.

"She had been knocked out near one of Robotnik's old SWAT BOT factories and we were just about to destroy it. Sonic had found her, knocked out and bleeding slightly from the right corner of her temple and being the hero he was, Sonic brought her back to the van before continuing on with his mission." Sonia said as she continued to pace the length of the room, growling in irritation.

"She was so nice to us." Manic cut in as he turned to look over his shoulder at his mother and Tails. "She gave us confidence and taught us many things. She was really beautiful as well, but she was pregnant too." Manic whimpered as he remembered the day she had left. "Her husband took her away though; she went happily since she had been looking for him since she woke up in our hideout."

"She said something to Sonic." Sonia took up again, growling in annoyance still. "She said something to him before she left, something no one else heard and we all saw the effect it had on Sonic. He changed afterwards, acting slyer and a lot quicker on his feet than he normally was. He even outsmarted me in a game of chess!" Sonia said as she stopped in the middle of the floor.

"That was about the point when he asked us to help him find a container, a metal container that held some powerful weapon." Manic said, falling to his butt as he stared at the wall across from him, not bothering to get back up since he knew that he wouldn't be able to handle staying up any longer. His nerves were too jittery from the memories.

Sonia continued from there, growling in continued annoyance. "We figured that was what the woman had told him, which a metal box held the ultimate weapon, but we figured it was also a trap. We told Sonic no and that we needed to continue fighting against Robotnik instead of going off on a wild goose chase."

Manic continued from there, knowing his sister would be too frustrated to continue with this part. "Sonic became angry at us, accusing us for not believing him and leaving him to suffer on his own. We had no idea what Sonic was talking about so we tried to calm him down. He didn't and he soon took off." Manic breathed deeply before he continued on. "He didn't come back and we soon got word that Sonic was now fighting with a bunch of rebels in a forest on the other side of the country and he would not return any time soon."

Sonia continued here, hearing the racking sobs beginning to come from her brother. "We continued our own fight with Robotnik from where we were, destroying factories and SWAT BOTS as much as possible and just trying to win the war. Me and Manic both felt betrayed though the longer we stayed away from Sonic. Even if we knew it was sort of our fault for letting Sonic leave in the first place."  
"He came back eventually and we destroyed Robotnik's empire finally, but then Sonic disappeared again." Manic said as he got control of his emotions again. "We didn't see Sonic for months until the Oracle came to us to tell us about another Prophecy. One that concerned Sonic and a Shadow of Maria." Manic said as he wiped at his face to get rid of the tear stains.

"The Oracle told us that Sonic was heading on a dark path, looking for this metal container and that we needed to destroy what was inside if we wanted to keep Sonic as our brother." Sonia said as she began to pace again, ignoring the incredulous look Tails sent her way. "We went after our brother after that, Mother joining us on our search, as did Cyrus a longtime friend of ours. We eventually found him in the north pole with the penguins, looking for that metal box."

"We tried to convince him to let it go and continue on with his life as it was, but he refused. He didn't want to let the box go for some reason and he fought with us all around and back. We eventually told him that we would destroy the container and what was inside as soon as he found it." Manic said as he slowly stood back up.

"Sonic went berserks at this and almost killed Cyrus in his rage. He had been trying to attack me and Manic, but we had dodged and Cyrus wasn't use to the field so didn't react in time." Sonia said as she stopped her pacing and turned back towards Tails. "After that, we left Sonic alone to look for his box; we turned out backs on him because we could see he was losing it." Sonia said as tears began to threaten to fall.

"We had seen his medallion crack and so we thought he was forever lost to us." Aleena finally spoke up this time, her own eyes full of regret as she looked at her children.

Tail couldn't believe what he was listening to. It was insane especially since he knew who Sonic was and the way he acted, but to hear that someone had willingly left Sonic when he was desperately looking for something, well he guessed that they deserved what they got.

Tails own eyes hardened as he looked at the three. "You deserve to suffer for giving up on Sonic like that." Silence fell in the room as Tails moved towards the door, only stopping to leave a parting farewell. "I don't blame Sonic for abandoning people who he thought was family and someone who would never abandon him. You hurt him in the worst possible way and I'm sure you'll be the only people he never forgives in his life." With that said Tails disappeared through the door, intent on finding Sonic and to comfort his big brother in all but blood.

Inside the room, the three royals all looked at the ground in regret, but it was Aleena who spoke up the words they all thought. "We need to find Sonic and stop him from doing this. We've turned our backs on him too many times and it is time to show that we really do care for him."

Manic and Sonia both looked up at their mother and smiled and nodded at her, agreeing full heartedly with the woman.

"Let's go find Bro!" Manic yelled as he ran for the door, Sonia right behind him.

"I'll get the tracker that Cyrus sent us, we'll find him in no time!" Sonia replied with a grin.

Aleena watch with proud eyes as her children left to get the tracker, as she followed her children she spoke to herself out loud. "I will not let this happen Alexander; I promise you our son will be safe." Aleena then disappeared outside to join her children in finding her son in all but blood.

xIPromisex

It had truly begun and he knew that he would not have much time left as he waited for the blue hedgehog to appear on the alter where the Master Emerald was held. He grinned as he noticed the small black hedgehog held in the older one's arms, giggling happily as the Emeralds began to react to Sonic's presence.

Eggman had been sitting there waiting for a half hour, waiting for Sonic to appear and complete his plan to actually save the day for once. He knew exactly what Sonic planned to do and he was about to stop it before it could be completed.

He continued to grin as the emeralds finally created the barrier around the Master Emerald and Sonic, and then when the three Royals arrived, all yelling at Sonic to stop what he was doing, watching as that annoying Fox and pink hedgehog arrived, watching silently as Sonic began to proceed with his plan that he probably been working on since his, Eggman's, own downfall.

Eggman watched as the glowing barrier around Sonic suddenly pulled together towards the Master emerald and then shot towards Sonic and the child.

"This is it." Eggman said as he picked up the gun and aimed it at Sonic, knowing that this was the time to shoot as Sonic began to glow a bright white with the child in his arms. He aimed the gun and then shot it straight at Sonic, hoping that his needle would inject the ingredients needed to help Sonic become at peace once and for all.

"I will not lose my greatest rival to something as trivial as a stupid miscalculation." Eggman grumbled as he watched his own plans unfold.

xGreatestRivalx

They had arrived too late to stop Sonic, Aleena knew as soon as she saw the barrier seemingly fold in on itself and then shoot into Sonic. "We're too late!" Sonia yelled as she attempted to run towards Sonic and somehow stop what was happening, but was stopped by Knuckles who looked ready to fight.

_So clever,_

_Whatever,_

_I'm done with these endeavors._

_Alone I walk the winding way._

_(Here I stay)_

_It's over,_

_No longer,_

_I feel it growing stronger._

_I'll live to die another day,_

_Until I fade away._

"I will not let you ruin something that Sonic has been fighting for, for years now! He deserves to be happy at least a little bit, don't you think?" Knuckles growled as he glared at the pink figure that he had once been in love with.

Sonia growled back at him and shook her head. "Not if it means we lose him!" She shrieked at him, glaring with all her might.

Shadow's own eyes furrowed as he watched what was happening before, as the white light covered his lover and Lightning all together, keeping him out of his sight. "What exactly is happening here?" Shadow finally asked as he looked at the growling pair.

_Why give up, why give in?_

_It's not enough, it never is._

_So I will go on until the end._

_We've become desolate._

_It's not enough, it never is._

_But I will go on until the end._

"Sonic is becoming an unstoppable monster that'll destroy the entire world!" Sonia roared in fury as she summoned her keyboard and shot it at Knuckles, who only dodged it and then knocked Sonia to the ground with a simple punch to the gut.

Shadow blinked in confusion and worry as he looked back up towards the alter, only to blink in surprise as the light began to fade away.

_Surround me,_

_It's easy_

_To fall apart completely._

_I feel you creeping up again._

_(In my head)_

"We have come too late." Aleena said as she shook her head and began to walk away, only to stop as a voice suddenly spoke up.

"Leaving already mommy dearest?"

_It's over,_

_No longer,_

_I feel it growing colder._

_I knew this day would come to end,_

_So let this life begin._

_But I will go on until the end._

Shadow's eyes widened at the voice, recognizing it even though it had been fifty years since he last heard it.

There standing at the top of the alter stood a figure of black fur and quills, a white belly and muzzle and arms and hands. Glowing emerald eyes looked around and black bracelets like Shadows encompassed his wrists and ankles, glowing with a dull white at the edges as it held back the excess energy the being had. "I thought the party just started, why would you leave now, especially since your son has become whole." The figure said as he began to move down the steps of the temple.

_Why give up, why give in?_

_It's not enough, it never is._

_So I will go on until the end._

_We've become desolate._

_It's not enough, it never is._

Shadow couldn't help but shake his head as he looked at the figure that he had called brother so long ago, wondering how he was standing in front of him now. "Boom." Shadow whispered and said being's eyes were soon locked on him, staring at him softly.

"Shadow…it's been so long since the last I saw you. You were so little then and now look at you, so big and strong." Boom said as he walked over to Shadow and began to circle him with curiosity and happiness. "I knew you would make a fine experiment that would make Doctor Gerald proud." Boom said as he patted Shadow on the head as if he was at the age of ten.

Shadow gulped in horror as he realized that the two experiments that had created Boom so long ago was comprised of Sonic and the little baby Lightning. "But why?" Shadow said to himself as he looked towards the ground, his heart breaking at the feeling of loss, knowing that he already missed Sonic.

_I've lost my way._

_I've lost my way, but I will go on until the end._

_Living is hard enough_

_Without you fucking up._

Boom's glowing yellow eyes softened as he looked at his younger brother, knowing just what he was thinking and feeling at the moment. "It was not his intention to hurt you Shadow; it's just that it was in his programming from the Doctor to become whole again, to combine with Lightning to create me. The Doctor didn't know you and he would fall for each other."

Shadow nodded his head but tears began to fall as he lifted his head to look at Boom, glaring at the elder now that he knew exactly what was going on. "I want him back." Shadow growled lowly as he looked at the elder Boom.

_Why give up, why give in?_

_It's not enough, it never is._

_So I will go on until the end._

_We've become desolate._

_It's not enough, it never is._

_But I will go on until the end._

Boom blinked in surprise at this, but he was soon shaking his head. "I'm sorry Shadow, but I can't just do that. It took me ten years to fall apart last time; I'm guessing it'll take another ten years for that to happen." Boom explained as he took a cautious step away from Shadow as the other's eyes began to glow alarmingly bright.

"Then I'll just have to make you fall apart, now won't I?" Shadow growled out as he began to charge up a Chaos spear in his hand. Boom's eyes widened at that and was readying to dodge when another voice cut into the soon to be fight.

"Don't worry Shadow, that won't be necessary."

_I've lost my way._

Everyone in the clearing looked up to see Doctor Robotnik/Eggman floating in the air in his floating craft, a gun in one hand while he looked at a watch on the other.

"Eggman! What the hell do you mean by that!" Knuckles asked as he got ready to fly up and take the doctor down before he could fire that gun, not realizing that he had already done fired that gun.

"Well, I mean that it won't matter in a few seconds…3…2….1 and here we go!" Eggman said as he swirled around to allow his eyes land on Boom's own curious looking form.

"Your Doctor Gerald's grandson, aren't you?" Boom asked as he looked at the doctor in curiosity. Eggman only nodded his head and grinned as Boom began to glow a dark black light and a scream of pain erupted from said light, startling everyone there.

_I've lost my way, but I will go on until the end._

"It worked!" Eggman cheered causing several of the ones on the ground to look up at him.

Tails eyes narrowed at the doctor as Knuckles flew up towards Eggman, grabbing hold of the man's collar as he began to ask what in the world he was talking about.

Sonia and Aleena watched what was happening in the sky with disdain as Manic watched the white blob with interest.

Shadow was watching the white blob in horror and worry, wondering if his lover would come out or if Boom would return.

Rogue was up in the air with Knuckles, prying the Echidna off of Eggman so the doctor could explain what he had done.

When he did have his breath back and his face was back from that awful color of purple, Eggman cheerily told them what he had done.

_U-uh, u-uh_

"I created that potion that grandpa needed to stabilize his two first creations!" He said happily and watched as several faces turned into shock and wonder and horror and confusion. "Sonic and Lightning will return, only better than ever!"

_The final fight I'll win,_

Knuckles looked at him with wide eyes before he turned back to the black blob, as did everyone else, and all watched as two figures were seen returning from the shadow.

Both lay still on the ground and did not move a muscle. Everything was silent and no one dared to disrupt it for several moments.

_The final fight I'll win,_

During this time everyone took in the shapes of the figures, realizing that one was an adult and the other was just a baby, everyone realizing that Sonic had returned to his original body, only different.

_The final fight I'll win,_

Before anyone could get a real good look at Sonic and the little baby that must be Lightning, Shadow moved faster than ever to be by his lover's side, calling out to the blue hedgehog.

"Sonic!"

_But I will go on until the end._

xItWorked!x

A.N. Okay, what do you think, surprising or not, it really shouldn't bee since we all knew that Boom was Sonic with another part. If you didn't figure that out, well, all I can say is I'm sorry. No one was singing in this chapter, but I felt that the lyrics made the story a little more intense so there you go. I hoped you enjoy since I only have one more chapter for this before it is completed.

**Song: Breaking Benjamin, Until the End**


	10. Peace for the Hero

Chapter Ten

Peace for the Hero

**Eighty Years in the Past: The Ark**

He looked into the two pods he had in front of him at the moment, grinning as he wrote something down on the files in his hands. He couldn't wait for them to be finished, he had been working so hard on them too and just wanted to see them in their final stages. He was almost giddy with glee.

They were looking good, almost ready to come out; both were in fetal position and eyes closed. They really were in good shape. He grinned as he wrote down the temperature of one of them, it was at a cool 98.7 Fahrenheit, a normal temperature and the other was at 98.5, a little below, but it was fine since it was a few seconds younger than the other.

Doctor Gerald swiped some of his brown hair out of his face, making sure he was able to see the two figures. One of them was a pure black color with a white muzzle and arms, he was positive the stomach would be white as well. Its quills were already reaching down pass its shoulder blades, reaching towards its tail. From there its ears were turned towards its head, keeping the liquid out of them and its nose was buried within its arms.

The other one was a blue color, a peach muzzle and arms and most likely a peach stomach as well. The quills were long than the other one's, reaching pass its tails easily and seemed to be rustling every now and then in the water, as if it was trying to wake up early. Gerald frowned at this for several moments before shaking his head at that thought and laughing lightly at it. "Impossible, Sonic will not be waking for quite some time, not until at least Lightning wakes up." Gerald patted the tube that Sonic was being held in, smiling gently as the hedgehog. "You will be out eventually Sonic; you just need to be patient."

Gerald patted the tube one more time before turning to leave, only to freeze as the sound of breaking glass erupted from behind him. Gerald turned around slowly and gasped as he looked at the standing figure of a blue hedgehog, staring at him with white eyes. Gerald blinked in surprise before having a brief panic attack. "What the heck is going! How are you awake? Why are you out of your capsule? What is going on?" Gerald asked as he looked at Sonic in surprise.

"Doctor?" The raspy sound startled Gerald as he looked at the blue hedgehog, who was now on all fours and panting heavily. "Doctor…help." Sonic said as he fell to the ground and passed out there, his breathing coming to a halt as he stilled.

Doctor Gerald stared at his creation in surprise before running over to him and looking him over with terrified eyes. "Sonic, why is this happening now?" Gerald asking himself as he went to pick up Sonic, only to stop at the sound of breaking glass coming from right next to him.

Gerald gulped as he turned to look towards where Lightning now stood, staring at him with bright yellow eyes and confusion on the surface. "Doctor?" Lightning said as he looked at the other male with confusion and fear. "Why are we waking up? Why do I feel so heavy still?" Lightning asked as he fell to his knees, shaking incredibly as he fell onto his hands and knees. "Why do I feel so weak?" He fell to his stomach and cried in pain as he hit it.

Dr. Gerald watched in horror as what seemed to be happening happened. "Why is this happening? Why?" Gerald asked as he grabbed Sonic and sat him on an examination table and then went over to Lightning and sat the now unconscious black hedgehog on an examination table as well. "Computer, what has happened to my children?" Gerald called out as he looked at his creations, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Reading Doctor…" The female voice of his hands free computer said as it began to do its job and figure out what was going on. "Data collected Doctor…It appears that the subject Sonic and Lightning have rejected the substitute serum and have begun to decompose."

Gerald swore in countless languages as he looked at his creations, wondering if he could save them somehow. "Computer, find a way to stop the degeneration process and quickly."

"Reading Doctor…" Gerald waited in tense silence for the results, wondering if it was even possible to save his creations at all this time. "Information located…Only way to stop experiments' degeneration would be to combine two into one…"

Gerald blinked at this information before smiling suddenly and instantly began to work. "Computer…New name for a new experiment…it will be called Project 2245 Boom. Information is confidential." Gerald commanded as he pulled out several nasty looking tools. "I will save you two, even if it means making you into one."

**Present Time: Angel Island**

"SONIC!" Shadow was beside the blue hedgehog within a minute, grabbing him by the shoulders and lifting him up slightly to look at him. He was stunned when he looked into the features of what a young Boom might've looked like if he had been allowed to age slowly. Though Sonic kept most of his most familiar traits, blue fur and quills for example, he was a lot slimmer than before, not to mention he had curves.

Shadow gulped as he looked at the male in his arms, for it was definitely still a male since Shadow was sure Sonic still had those parts, even if he did have curves, it wasn't anything drastic like breasts, just a little more oomph for a male than normal. This was still his Sonic, even if the other male was now shorter than Shadow and a lot more feminine as well.

Shadow put a hand on Sonic's chest, reassuring himself that the Hero was alright as Sonic breathed in and out. The Ultimate Life Form felt several tears prick at the sides of his eyes and wondered if he would start crying but hoped that he wouldn't; he didn't have the time at this point, even if he wanted to badly.

He hadn't noticed though that while he had been checking on Sonic, Sonia had slowly began to creep towards the little black form of Lightning, who lay sleeping curled up on the ground, sucking on his thumb as he slept. Sonia came up behind the little form, raising her keyboard at him and began to charge up her weapon.

"You're not going to hurt my brother again." Sonia whispered as she fired her weapon. She watched as it neared the little bundle, only to have her eyes widen as a blue blur fazes into her vision and blacks the attack from its intended target. She growled as she looked at Sonic, wondering if her brother would be okay or if he was dead. Tears fell down her face as she thought of this, but she otherwise kept her face hard.

Shadow blinked as a blue blur appeared in front of his eyes and soon Sonic was no longer in his arms and he heard the shout of 'NO!' come from behind him. Shadow turned just enough time to see Sonia shoot her brother, Sonic having grabbed Lightning into his arms and taking the hit to his back where his quills seemed to spread and protect him.

Shadow's eyes watched in horror as smoke cleared from where Sonic and Lightning had been, waiting for the blue blur to appear again and wasn't disappointed as the smoke finally cleared, showing a ball of quills. Everyone watched the ball cautiously, especially Sonia since she was the closest and the one to attack first.

It was several minutes before the ball began to unfurl and showed Sonic growling in an animalistic way, glaring at Sonia with all the hatred in the world as he held the little black infant to his chest firmly, never once looking away from Sonia as he patted the little one's head in comfort. "Don't even think about trying that again!" Sonic snarled as he bared his teeth at his sister, showing off brand new canines that seemed more like fangs to Shadow. "You won't survive if you do try."

The warning ripped through the group and many of them shivered, others just stared at Sonic in surprise. The laughter of one Doctor Eggman though cut through all the tension and brought their attention back to him. Knuckles still floated in the air next to the mad genius and glared at him in annoyance, but otherwise he just crossed his arms and waited for him to calm down so he could explain fully.

"HOOOO HOHOHOHO! I cannot believe that this is happening now, after so many years of wanting to see Sonic be attacked by one of his siblings!" Eggman said as he rolled in his aircraft, making it rock back and forth dangerously.

All the other Anthrops just rolled their eyes as they watched the elder man, wondering when exactly he was going to talk, though Sonic didn't really care at the moment for he was looking Lightning over to make sure the little one had no real injuries.

Knuckles finally growled in annoyance as he floated closer to Eggman and grabbed him by the scruff of his collar and growled in his face, "Will you stop laughing and start talking! What exactly just happened here!" Knuckles asked as he watched Eggman finally calm down enough to look at everyone gathered.

Eggman coughed to clear his throat and began to talk. "Well, you see I was going through some of my grandfather's things again and found this disc that was labeled 'Project 2245 Boom,' I decided it was important and loaded it. I had to get through several different passwords and codes before I could finally see what this Boom was." Here Eggman stopped and rubbed at his chin, thinking deeply about what he was about to say. "To my great surprise I found an experiment that was created to control Chaos Energy, be faster than the speed of light, not to mention be much smarter than the greatest minds on earth; well I can only say that I wanted it."  
The group was quiet on the ground, Shadow having moved over towards Sonic and now stood over the other protectively, Sonic not bothering to even pay attention to the Doctor as he held Lightning close to his chest, Tails taking everything in with a calculative look in his eyes, Amy not quite understanding it, Manic in the same boat as Amy, Knuckles was just floating in the air with his head in his hands and not bothering to pay attention since he already knew the story, Sonia growled as she listened, Aleena listening patiently, and Rogue just listening with interest.

"Get on with it Baldy McNose Hair, we don't have all day." Sonia growled as she placed her hands on her hips, the silence from Eggman getting to her finally. She just wanted to know what was going on with her brother.

Eggman sighed but nodded his head in agreement. "I understand Sonia, but be patient, I will get there in time, just listen." Eggman said gently as he leaned back in his chair, thinking of how to phrase this next part. "The only way I could get my hands on Boom though was if I were to get the two pieces of it."

Eggman was quiet again as he thought of what to say next and began to fiddle with his fingers slightly. "When I found out there were two parts of Boom I went on a search through all the records I had to find out what those two parts were. I was stunned when I found two files called Project Sonic and Project Lightning. Both of their files were covered in big red letters, 'FAILED' and were hidden within Boom's own file."

Everyone was silent as they listened to Eggman, Sonic though was growling low in his throat as he held Lightning to his chest, holding the young one tight. He was afraid, deathly afraid of what Eggman was about to reveal, even though he already knew all about it. He squeezed his eyes shut tight and curled into his body, protecting Lightning from any attack as his quills curled around to protect anything that was left unprotected. He would not lose his brother again!  
Shadow had seen this movement from the corner of his eye and turned to look at the ball of quills now, wondering what exactly Sonic was so afraid of, what was going on within the hero's mind at that moment. Shadow sighed sadly as he turned to listen to Eggman again.

"I read through the files, only to almost spit out the coffee I had been drinking at the time." Eggman started as he fiddled his fingers to try and calm himself from the memory. "I just couldn't believe the pictures that I found in the files." Here Eggman typed on his aircraft's computer, a light hitting the air as it began to project an image.

No one moved as the two images came into focus, clearly showing two hedgehogs, one was a very familiar one. "No way! Sonic isn't an experiment by your nutty grandpa!" Sonia screamed as tears began to fall down her face, she didn't want to believe it because that would mean that Sonic was made to be inherently bad. "Sonic isn't a monster like that!"

Shadow frowned as he looked at the pictures, but he took it with good grace because he had already known that Boom was two separate parts, he just didn't know what those parts were. He growled though when Sonia called Sonic a monster, even if he was an experiment, he wasn't a monster.

Eggman frowned at Sonia and shook his head in disappointment. "I can't believe you Sonia, a supposed hero of Mobotropolis and Mobius, and here you are calling your brother a monster. He is not a monster, just an experiment, which is all." Eggman said as he typed on his mobile computer again and brought up another image, though this time it was a video.

"My grandfather had recorded what he was doing and by doing this, he caught what had happened during the failure of the two experiment's creation. Sonic and Lightning had another six months in their pods when they broke out too early." Eggman said as he hit the play button and the video began to play, showing Gerald standing in front of two pods and writing on a notepad before he patted one of the pods and turned to leave.

Everyone watched as the pods broke open one at a time.

_ Gerald blinked in surprise before having a brief panic attack. "What the heck is going! How are you awake? Why are you out of your capsule? What is going on?" Gerald asked as he looked at Sonic in surprise._

Shadow's eyes narrowed as he watched Sonic blink, realizing that the blue blur had no iris or pupil whatsoever. He found this odd since Sonic had emerald eyes now, but he was unsure of how that was possible.

_"Doctor?" The raspy sound startled Gerald as he looked at the blue hedgehog, who was now on all fours and panting heavily. "Doctor…help." Sonic said as he fell to the ground and passed out there, his breathing coming to a halt as he stilled._

No one said anything as they realized that Sonic had died at that point, his chest unmoving and his eyes closed as if in sleep. This was about the time that Lightning broke out of his as well.

_Gerald gulped as he turned to look towards where Lightning now stood, staring at him with bright yellow eyes and confusion on the surface. "Doctor?" Lightning said as he looked at the other male with confusion and fear. "Why are we waking up? Why do I feel so heavy still?" Lightning asked as he fell to his knees, shaking incredibly as he fell onto his hands and knees. "Why do I feel so weak?" He fell to his stomach and cried in pain as he hit it._

The royals all stared in awe at this since they all knew that Sonic was different from them, but none of them had realized how different at this point.

_"Computer, what has happened to my children?" Gerald called out as he looked at his creations, trying to figure out what was going on._

Shadow remembered the Computer since he had accidentally destroyed it in a fit of Chaos rage when they had been attacked by G.U.N. and he had to watch Maria died. He hadn't realized then that he had destroyed it, but when he was later left on his own he had realized he had. He probably saved a lot of data from G.U.N. then too.

_"Reading Doctor…" The female voice of his hands free computer said as it began to do its job and figure out what was going on. "Data collected Doctor…It appears that the subject Sonic and Lightning have rejected the substitute serum and have begun to decompose."_

Here Dr. Eggman stopped the video and let the screen fall down and turned back towards the others as he drummed his fingers absently on his arms. "This is where he thought of combining the two to save them, since neither of them could produce the correct amount of Chaos Energy within their bodies to survive." Eggman said as he looked towards the ball of blue quills. "Without the needed chaos energy in their bodies, neither would be able to sustain their forms without self-destructing."

Everyone was deadly silent as they allowed this to sink in, no one looked around or at each other, all heads were pointed to the ground as they thought. "If they did not have the correct amount of Chaos energy in their bodies, then how did Sonic survive all these years without the needed serum?" Aleena asked as she looked up towards the Doctor who was looking at her with glee.

Eggman knew he had all the answers they needed and that he was the one in control at this point since Sonic was obviously not going to attack him at this point and Shadow was too interested in the information to do anything as well. Knuckles looked as if he already knew what was going on and didn't really care much about it. Then there was the other little friends of Sonic and then the blue blur's siblings and mother as well. He had them in the palm of his hand and could destroy them at that moment if he wanted to.

Only he wasn't going to this time, he was just going to help them out this time and then return to his plans on conquering the world. Eggman nodded at Aleena with a small smile and began to speak again. "Mobius is surrounded in chaos energy dear Aleena. Thanks to the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald Mobius is powered up greatly, energy pulsing through everything to make it stronger, faster, and sometimes even smarter. Everyone has Chaos Energy in them but only a few can control it." Eggman took a deep breath as he typed on his computer again, bringing up several pictures.

The first picture was of the Master Emerald and the Seven Chaos Emeralds. "The Master Emerald is the strongest thing in the universe with completely unlimited amounts of power contained within. It transfers its powers to the Seven Chaos Emeralds to help keep its power under control and contained. From forcing power into the seven emeralds, its power leaks across the world and into the beings around."

The second picture was of two mobians, one was Shadow and the other was Crème. Their nervous system was showing through their skin though so all could see. "Most Mobians, like that little rabbit, are unable to produce Chaos control because their system cannot handle it. Look here at the little rabbit, her system is the norm for Mobians, circulating through the body in narrow lines and simple structure." Eggman then turned and pointed towards Shadow and pointed at one of the little lines on him and zoomed in on it. "Shadow is a perfect example of a Mobian who can use Chaos control because his system branches off more than Crème's does and creates channels where the Chaos energy can roam in." The little channels were shown on the screen and Shadow looked at his arm in curiosity.

The third picture was of plants and other organic life forms on Mobius; all living happily, but then a glow surrounded their body as the color of the screen changed. "I just put up a special lens on the camera when I was recording. This lens shows the amount of Chaos Energy a being can absorb and as you can see that all organic life and little creatures survive off of this so they can continue to live, even when sick." Eggman said and finally turned towards a picture of Sonic who was lying on a lab table injured all over.

"I had found Sonic lying on the beach badly hurt while I had gone for a jog. I took him back to my lab and began to heal him." Eggman said and turned to see several skeptical looks from them. "What, I can't be evil if I don't have an enemy to try and stop me, now can I?" The others all just shook their heads at him and Eggman huffed and turned back towards the screen.

"I had run test on Sonic while he was out and got several statistics and found out that Sonic did not fit either category for absorbing Chaos Energy. In fact, Sonic wasn't absorbing it at all; he was in fact eating it in a way to survive." Eggman tapped on several buttons before a skeletal view was shown of Sonic and then his nervous system appeared again. Eggman tapped on the keys again as that special lens was reapplied to the camera, showing the aura of Chaos energy surrounding Sonic.

What that showed was astounding since it looked as if Sonic was literally a black hole and was just sucking up copious amounts of Chaos Energy. "Sonic's system was different from both a normal Mobian and one that can absorb the Chaos Energy. His system branch out more often, has several different patterns, not to mention it will sometimes even reach out of his body physically and grab at the energy." Here it showed Sonic's body doing just that, leaving a huge space where the energy had just been.

"So to survive here all Sonic had to do was absorb all the energy that came from the Master Emerald without actually touching it. He took all Chaos Energy and turned it into something he could use, even if it meant taking it from someone who could use Chaos Control." Shadow blinked at this in surprise and wondered if that was the only reason Sonic stayed close to him, to get the energy he wanted to survive and use him to get back Lightning and return as Boom. Was he only an item to be used?

Eggman knew what Shadow was thinking as soon as that sad look descended on his face, but there was nothing that he could do, that would be up to Sonic to fix later. Eggman sighed as he turned to Shadow who was now staring at him, crimson eyes shining with curiosity. "In the video Sonic came out of the pod with no Iris or pupils whatsoever. Why is that Doctor?"

Eggman blinked at this and smiled to himself, he forgot that Shadow noticed a lot of details even though several others didn't. "Well Shadow, to answer your question I need to explain one of Sonic's abilities when he was first created. You see my Grandfather gave each of his creations one special ability that was their own and Sonic's was the ability to gain information from the first person who looked him in the eyes. This ability could only be used once in his life because then he would gain that person's own eyes." Eggman tapped several keys and the pictures that had been up before disappeared to be replaced by a green hedgehog.

Aleena gasped at the picture as the sight of her long deceased husband showed up smiling at them with bright emerald eyes. "I'm guessing that when Sonic was first found, King Alexander of Mobius had been the one to pick him up and in doing so looked into Sonic's eyes. From then on Sonic would forever have the emerald eyes that the king had." Eggman said with a chuckle. "Not to mention all the information that the king knew and everything else the king ever thought about."

Aleena looked at the picture of her husband with longing but knew it would be impossible to ever bring him back. All she could do was hope that he was happy where he was. Now though she understood how Sonic had been able to obtain the same bright emerald eyes that her husband had had when he was alive and she was still exceedingly happy that her adopted son had them.

Not many questions were left but Amy still had one in mind that she wanted to know before anyone even attempted to get Sonic out of his ball form, knowing that would take a while. "Hey Eggman! I have a question!" Amy called up to Dr. Eggman who looked down at her and nodded his head in assent. "How come Sonic looks like a woman now!"

Eggman looked startled for a second before he burst out laughing, almost falling out of his airship as he was laughing so hard. Shadow frowned as did Amy and several others, all wanting to know why there was such a big change in Sonic's physique. "Oh, I'm so glad you asked that little one! God, this is so funny I almost forgot about that feature!" Eggman said with a howl. Shadow growled as he took a step forward and a glowing chaos spear in his hand appeared as he was about ready to shoot it at the doctor.

"Answer the question already! I'm tired of people laughing at my lover!" Shadow yelled as he threw a Chaos spear, only missing on purpose to keep the doctor airborne so he could answer the question. No one noticed as the quills receded slightly to allow an emerald eye to peek out and look at Shadow.

Eggman gulped as he calmed down instantly and tapped on his keyboard again, bringing up a picture of Sonic in the form he had been in on the video. The figure was slim and curvy like a woman but lacked actual breasts and held the parts of a male instead. The hips were wide and the stomach area was slim with muscle and no real fat. The face was also shaped like a woman's and the eyes were like Rogues if only a little bigger and the lashes curved naturally to give him that seductive look.

"Sonic was designed to be able to mate with another male and produce a life that would be stronger than any other species or person in the world." Eggman stated bluntly. Everyone on the ground were in shock, Knuckles actually fell out of the sky at this information as Sonic hadn't told him about that.

Sonia was staring wide eyed at the doctor as Manic had dropped his drumsticks and was now passed out on the ground. Aleena was just staring at the doctor in mild surprise, not quite sure what to think. Amy and Tails were passed out as well and Knuckles was gasping in air as Rogue helped him up, a surprised look on her own face as well.

Shadow's eyes were wide though and his mouth was hanging open as he looked at the doctor who was now laughing again at them all in absolute humor. "Yes Shadow, you can get Sonic pregnant if you're not careful from now on!" Eggman howled in laughter, holding his stomach.

Everyone was silent as Eggman laughed, all taking in this new information and processing it the best that they could. Though he stopped laughing as a new voice entered the throng of people, one he thought was still curled up in a ball of blue quills. "Eggman…am I…really stable now?" Eggman turned to see Sonic standing up fully, his eyes shining with hope as he looked at his mortal enemy.

Eggman gulped as those bright emerald eyes stared at him with the brightest of hope that he knew that if he said no to the hero that he could utterly crush his enemy. Even though he so wanted to do that, he just couldn't, not with Sonic looking at him with all the hope in the world that he was truly safe from another break down. That his little brother was truly safe from another failure that could end up in their death.

Eggman sighed as he nodded his head in affirmative. "You are stable Sonic; all my machines show that you are taking in a steady stream of Chaos Energy like Shadow does. Though you will probably always will have to wear those metal bands around your wrists and ankles from now on." Eggman said as he pointed at the black bands that were still on Sonic.

Sonic nodded his head with a smile and then looked down at Lightning with worry. "Will Lightning need bands too? I mean he's just like me and Shadow after all, he'll be able to do the same things as me and him when he's older." Sonic said as he ran a gentle hand through his little brother's quills. Lightning was still sleeping peacefully, not once waking up since Sonic had curled up around him.

Eggman smiled and shook his head. "I highly doubt it Sonic. You and Shadow will need to because Shadow was pushed to grow up within a year and his control over his own power is slightly unstable. You because of what you just attempted and because of the serum I injected you with, otherwise you'll be fine. Lightning will be able to adjust to the serum because of his younger form and because he is now getting a steady and safe stream of energy into his system." Eggman said as he turned his vehicle around and began to leave.

Sonic looked up at the retreating Eggman and smiled at him. "Guess you were the hero this time, huh Eggman!" Sonic called to him and smiled as he heard the nervous laughter of Eggman as he got further away.

"This doesn't mean we're friends you little rodent! Just you wait I'll have Eggman Land in no at all! HOOOO HOHOHOHO!" With that Eggman disappeared into the night, leaving Sonic to face the crowd of people in front of him.

Sonic smiled at Amy and Tails and told them that they should head home and that he would talk with them later, he did the same with Knuckles and Rogue before turning to the three people he had called family for years before. "Guess I got what I wanted after all." Sonic said with a smile.

No one was expecting the sound of a slap resounding through the clearing as Sonic's head snapped to the side, his cheek turning red. "You jerk! How dare you do that to us!" Sonia yelled at her brother, tears falling down her face as she looked at him. Sonic just stared at her, holding Lightning closer to his chest as he looked at her. Sonia snarled as she went to tackle him, but was stopped by Manic who grabbed hold of her around the waist and held her back.

Manic growled slightly as his sister struggled in his arms, trying to get at Sonic and make him pay. "Sonia, this isn't going to help anyone! You have to calm down." The green hedgehog said as he tightened his hold on his sister. Sonia snarled several more times before calming down, just glaring at Sonic now as she crossed her arms.

Once he was sure that Sonia was calmed down, Manic released her and walked up towards his brother. "You have caused a lot of trouble bro." Manic said as he looked at him with calm but angry eyes.

Sonic nodded his head but looked at them with sorrowful eyes. "I know that, but you cannot possibly understand the pain I was going through when I was separated and kept apart from Lightning, being kept from becoming Boom again when I was incomplete in the first place." Sonic said as tears gathered in his eyes and he looked down at the sleeping baby in his arms, hoping that when Lightning was older that he would be stronger than him.

Shadow stood to the side as he watched the scene, his own eyes filling with sorrow as he thought back to before he got together with Sonic. He had felt so alone and enclosed, empty and incomplete that it hurt so bad, and it had only stopped hurting when he had asked Sonic out. He knew that feeling of being incomplete, but he couldn't understand how Sonic could feel so incomplete with Shadow. The blue blur had said that he loved him but this stunt had made Shadow really wonder.

"You know, I think he really does love you." Shadow jumped at the sound of the Queen right next to him. Shadow turned and looked at the calm and understanding look that Aleena had on her face, though she had small tears in her eyes that were stubbornly refusing to fall. "I can see it in his eyes Shadow, he really does love you, but he felt he needed to do this so he wouldn't continue feeding off of you."

Shadow looked at the ground at this as he took this in. "He didn't want to continue feeding off of you, he wanted a way he could survive on his own and not continue to harm you, for I'm sure him continuously feeding off of you was causing you some sort of damage." Aleena continued to say and Shadow's mind wrapped around that, wondering if that was really true. "Sonic wouldn't be here now if he didn't have you and I'm sure that Sonic wouldn't have stayed with you so long if he didn't love you."

Shadow looked back up in time to see the two royal siblings walk away from Sonic, both having tears falling down their faces, but determination was shining in their eyes. Shadow narrowed his eyes at this and wondered what the two had done and looked towards Sonic, determined himself to figure out what exactly had happened.

Sonic was standing there, cuddling Lightning close to his chest, his quills slightly covering his body in a protective stance. Shadow knew instantly what the two had tried to do and growled as they neared him, anger flaring in his eyes as his own protective streak flared up.

Sonia was the first to arrive and stood in front of the two older hedgehogs, eyes flaring with her own anger and determination. "Mother, he can't be allowed to keep that other experiment! It was that things fault in the first place that he went nut-so on us and almost caused him to become a monster!" Sonia growled out as she caressed her keyboard charm.

Shadow growled at that, not liking that the girl had just called her own brother and his lover a monster! Not to mention Lightning, a thing, when he was clearly a boy. At this point Manic had arrived and nodded his head in agreement. "I think that the baby should go to an orphanage to be raised, or maybe given to Eggman, I'm sure he'd take good care of the boy." Manic said reasonably, being much nicer about it than Sonia.

Aleena was frowning at them both and was about to open her mouth when Shadow let out a ferocious snarl at the two younger hedgehogs. "How dare you talk about your brother in such a way! Not to mention that he is my lover as well! I will not stand for you insulting him in such a way when he was only trying to feel whole again, you would not understand that feeling since both of you are clearly brats!" Shadow yelled at the two.

Aleena raised an eyebrow in surprise but was silent as both her children's mouths fell wide open at Shadow's rant. Aleena continued to smile as Shadow snarled at the two. "And that baby is a boy! He is not a monster! He is not an experiment! He is a baby at this point that we will raise as our own!" Shadow growled as he pushed pass the two. "I do not want to see either of you while I'm taking care of the two! Neither of you deserve to be in his presence or Lightning's life! So leave and never return." With that Shadow walked the rest of the way towards a very shocked Sonic who was staring at his red striped lover with surprise and adoration.

"We are going home Sonic, come here and we will go the Chaos Control route." Shadow said as he opened his arms towards his lover. Sonic smiled gently at his lover and walked into the embrace, snuggling into Shadow's white chest fur as they disappeared into thin air.

Sonia and Manic stared at the place where the two were for several moments until they felt a tug on their collars and were unceremoniously dragged towards the Temperboards. "You two will be grounded for quite a while for what you said to Sonic. Neither of you should have said that to him and he did not deserve your hate. I will give you both punishments when we return home and neither of you will complain about it." Aleena said as she threw her children at the Temperboards, eyes shining with anger and disappointment.

"Sonic has done so much for us and Mobius, I think he deserves a little bit of happiness no matter what. I don't care if he keeps Lightning; Lightning is only a baby now and will not cause any trouble as Sonic raises him." Aleena glared at them both as she put her hands on her hips. "You both know Sonic will raise that child with love and teach him great manners and morals. Do you not trust your brother anymore?"

There was silence and Aleena's eyebrows disappeared into her hair as both her children looked away from her. "You don't trust him anymore." It was a dreadful statement but a true one none the less.

xTrustx

A.N. Wow, that was intense. I'm actually really happy with this one and I can't believe I've turned Sonia into such a freaking bitch. Wow though, I hope you all liked it and I've decided on one more chapter so be ready for some very pissed off Shadow!


	11. A Protective Shadow

Chapter Eleven

A Protective Shadow

**Five Years Ago: Rebellion in Mobotropolis, Unknown Location**

The smoke clouded the area as they moved quickly, the four hedgehogs all moving back towards the base that they knew would be their safe haven. The oldest of them grunted as she tried to keep up with the three ten year olds who were moving much faster than her, her pregnant belly weighing her down even if she was only three months along. "I hate to ask this since we're so close, but can you please slow down?" She asked as she wiped her dark blue quills from her face, breathing heavily as she looked at the three children with emerald eyes.

The three in front of her stopped suddenly, the lead hedgehog with light blue quills that were short and stocky, his own emerald eyes staring back at her in concern as he realized that they were pushing her too fast and too hard, especially in her condition.

The second one, a pink hedgehog with short quills and her fur styled like a Mohawk sort of and her own lavender eyes looked at her. Pity could be seen as she stood up fully and wiped dust off of her purple skirt and began to walk back towards the pregnant woman.

The third was a green hedgehog with short quills as well and spiky pieces of fur standing up, his blue eyes stared at her in worry as well as he began to twirl drumsticks. "Like sorry about that, guess we like are in a hurry to get back." The green one said as he looked at her, his orange vest rustling in the slight breeze.

The woman smiled at him gently as she accepted the pink hedgehog's hand to help her move along. "It's alright Manic, you guys can't help it. I'm just so much slower since I conceived." She said as she moved along at a slower pace with the three younger hedgehogs now.

The pink one nodded as she took this information in. "It must be tough to carry. I'll probably get pregnant one day, but that's still a long ways away." Sonia said as she helped her elder over a boulder.

The blue hedgehog and the eldest of the three younger ones scoffed lightly as he began to wonder ahead. "I'm glad I'm male then, I don't have to worry about being pregnant or slowing down like an old man." Sonic said as he put his hands behind his head, ignoring the indignant cries of his sister.

"That was mean Sonic! You should apologize to Boom!" Sonia said as she whapped her brother on the back of the head.

Boom laughed at the two before she interfered in what would've been a huge argument between the two. "No worries Sonia, he'll have to deal with a pregnant woman sooner or later, so I would advise in letting it go." She said as she patted the girl on the head. "We need to keep moving so Robotnik doesn't get us."

The three nodded in compliance as they continued helping her around the boulders, frustration edging onto all four of their faces at the slow pace. "Maybe you should leave me behind, I'll catch up eventually." She said as she sat down for a quick rest before trying to trudge on to the base.

All three instantly shook their heads at her idea, all hating to leave her here by herself in her condition. "Not going to happen Boom, we like totally said we'd stick by you and we totally meant it." Manic said as his siblings nodded their heads in agreement.

Boom only sighed and nodded her head at their stubbornness before rising up again and beginning to move and this time they made it to the base without any more stops. "Boom, go and lay down, you need to rest." Sonia said as she headed towards their security system to get it started.

Boom nodded and with the help of Manic she was able to move to the room the three had graciously given her when she first arrived and was soon sitting on the bed. "That's a great idea; after all, I don't want you to faint when we return home." Boom blinked at the familiar voice and stood up so fast that Manic was knocked over.

Sonia and Sonic came running as soon as Manic yelled in fright, both ready to fight as their instruments were out and already charging. Neither was expecting the scene that they came too though.

Manic was sitting on the ground, staring up at two figures that held each other in their arms, Sonic recognizing one as Boom and the other as the proverbial enemy. He snarled at the black hedgehog before he began to move. "Don't come any close whelp or I'll blast you." Sonic stopped midstride at the glowing yellow hand that was held in his direction and the merciless crimson eyes staring at him.

The two young hedgehogs gulped again at the sight of such energy coming from the black one, but neither put their weapons down and neither was ready to give up just yet. Well, that was until Boom spoke up towards them, looking at them over her shoulder.

"Knock this off you guys! None of you need to be fighting. Shadow, these three protected me and helped me while I was here, while I was searching for you." Boom said as she let go of the taller and older hedgehog, giving him a pointed look before she turned to the others in the room. "You three need to meet my mate and lover, Shadow, he's the one I told you I was looking for." Boom said as she smiled softly at the young children.

Sonic blinked in confusion as Sonia and Manic gasped in understanding. "So this is the ever handsome, ever suave, ever brave Shadow that's always keeping you safe." Sonia said and smiled at the blush that graced Boom's cheeks.

Shadow smirked as he wrapped his arms around Boom lovingly and hugged her close. "So I'm handsome, brave, and suave am I? You know you forgot to mention how intelligent, strong, and great I am you know." Shadow said as he nuzzled his nose to his lover's neck.

Boom grumbled but was soon smirking as she put her nose in the air with a smirk. "I did mention how bone headed, perverted, and modest you were though." She said and Shadow's nuzzling stopped as he growled but didn't let go of the other.

"Well it doesn't matter now, I think it's time we left, we are not meant for this place anyways. You are also very pregnant and I do not wish for this Robotnik to injure and our child." Shadow said as he began to lead the other out of the room, the three kids right behind them, all intent on saying goodbye.

Boom smiled at her husband before pulling free enough to turn around and pull the nearest of the three into her arms, which happened to be Sonic. Everyone watched as she said something into the other's ear before letting him go and smiling at him, she pulled Manic and Sonia into a hug each, but they were shorter than what Sonic's had been. "I wish you three luck in the rebellion; I hope we'll meet again soon." Boom said as Shadow picked her up in his arms and they disappeared in a flash.

**Three years Ago: Angel Island**

"Hey Sonic! I told you to tell me when you were coming to recharge!" A red Echidna yelled out, shaking his fist at a blue hedgehog that was kneeling down in front of the Master Emerald, his hands glowing green as he kept his hands on the emerald. "You could cause problems if I don't know if you're here or not!" Knuckles said as he approached the Hedgehog, already knowing that he wouldn't be able to stop him from absorbing power from the emerald.

Sonic didn't answer as he kept his eyes closed, not answering his friend until he had a sufficient amount of energy stored. When he was sure he would last at least a few days he removed his hands and opened his eyes, turning to look at his friend with a small smile. "Sorry Knux, but I've been down on energy lately, especially with Robotnik upping his attempts at trying to destroy." Sonic said as he stood up slowly, a slow glow surrounding his body before it disappeared into his body.

Knuckles sighed as he looked at the other one and nodded his head. "I understand but you have to be careful, I don't know what'll happen from draining the Master Emerald like that. For all I know it could try and reabsorb the energy you took and you'll be left with nothing." Knuckles replied as he stood next to his friend/rival.

Sonic nodded his head as he looked around the grassy area, wondering if he should get going to stop another attempted takeover by Robotnik. He sighed as he cracked his neck before starting to move. "I'll get you when I need another recharge, but I'm not sure how I'll be. You know that if I am low drastically on energy I'll need that charge." Sonic said as he continued moving away.

Knuckles nodded his head as he watched his friend leave. "I understand, I just want to be here to make sure nothing bad happens is all." Knuckles said as he sat on one of the steps watching Sonic zoom off. "I just hope you don't break before you find him." Knuckles muttered as he watched the blue blur disappear.

**Two years past: Shadow's Cottage**

He had just settled down to relax, especially after a G.U.N. Mission with Rogue, this one having almost cost him his life. He hadn't been fast enough to dodge on his own and a bullet was heading for his head; he was sure that if Rogue hadn't had grabbed him at that time he would be dead.

He sighed as he grabbed hold of the emerald in his quills and pulled it out, setting onto the kitchen table where he would eat his meals by himself and where he would read the paper. He looked towards the sink where dishes were piled up, the smell of leftover foods and mildew were coming from it. Most likely from dishes sitting in there for a few weeks.

He grimaced as he realized that he had to get those done soon or he would have to deal with exceedingly rotten food, things he didn't really want to do. His mind also told him he'd have to go through the refrigerator and find out what was expired and most likely disgusting food left in there for too long.

He sighed as he thought about these things but decided that he would worry about those later as he wanted to sleep. He wondered back towards his room where his bed was, waiting for him, calling him, just wanting to embrace him so he could sleep. He was exhausted and knew that the one o'clock return had worn on him more than he thought. He shook his head and fell onto the bed, already knowing he would sleep until late into the afternoon.

xExhaustedx

He blinked in confusion as the smell of food wafted into his nose, bringing him out of his deep sleep, though he already knew that he was completely recovered from his mission due to the abundant amount of Chaos Energy in the air.

He climbed out of his bed and followed the smell towards the kitchen and sneaked a peek, startled to see familiar blue quills at the sink, the sound of water running and clatter of dishes told him what the blue wonder was doing. He looked towards the table as his stomach grumbled, looking at the pancakes and scrambled eggs sitting on the table, surrounded by peanut butter and syrup and jelly and butter. Shadow gulped as he looked at the food and then at the blue blur, not sure what to do.

That was about the point that Sonic turned off the water and grabbed a dish towel, beginning to dry the dishes and set them aside until they could be put away in their rightful places. Once he was done with this task he set the rag aside and turned around, jumping when he saw Shadow standing at the door staring at the food on the table. Sonic smiled as he watched the other literally slobber all over the floor. "You know, if you're hungry you can dig in, I was just about to wake you anyways."

All Sonic could do was blink as Shadow attacked the food at the table, gobbling it down faster than what Knuckles did after a hard day's training. He shook his head as he turned towards the fridge, already knowing what was waiting for him since he had gone through it earlier, declaring that it had nothing whatsoever to eat inside.

He grabbed the garbage can that was underneath the sink and pulled it over towards the fridge, wondering if it would be able to hold everything, but shrugged as he walked back over towards the sink and pulled out the box of garbage bags and walked back over.

By the time Shadow was done with his breakfast, Sonic had cleared out the entire fridge and had taken everything out of the trash. Sonic sighed as he looked at the satisfied Shadow who now had his head back on the table, snoring away as he rested a little bit more. Sonic could only shake his head and gather up the plates at the table and wash those as well, leaving the stack of dishes on the table as he went back over to Shadow and shook him awake.

Shadow blinked in confusion as he looked up into emerald eyes and stared at them in amazement. That was until he realized who it was and was instantly on his feet growling. "How the hell did you get into my house?" Shadow asked instantly and was stunned when Sonic held up a key.

"Rogue lent it to me so I could come and check on you, she was worried, especially after your G.U.N. mission yesterday." Sonic explained as he put the key on the table before backing away slightly. "So I came in to check on you earlier this morning, found you fast asleep, went to raid your fridge, found nothing in it, went shopping, came back and made breakfast for myself and then you and then did the dishes and cleaned out your fridge, finally I also cleaned your living room earlier as well. It was absolutely disgusting." Sonic said as he looked at the other hedgehog. "I know you're busy most of the time but can't you even clean a little more than letting everything pile up?"

Shadow blinked at the rather fast explanation but took it in stride. He glared at Sonic before crossing his arms over his chest and continued glaring at the other. "I don't need your help Faker; I can take care of myself." Shadow said as he began to walk out of the room, only to stop as he remembered something. "Where's my Chaos Emerald Faker?" Shadow asked as he looked over his shoulder at the other.

Sonic blinked and then grinned as he looked at the other hedgehog, reaching into his quills and pulling out the white emerald that Shadow had found long ago. "You mean this one? I found it on the table earlier, man; you must've been really tired if you left it here." Sonic said as he walked pass the other. "I think I'll just take it since you're so out of it, I don't want Eggman to take it after all." With that Sonic disappeared pass Shadow and out of the cabin at supper fast pace.

Shadow growled and took off after the blur, leaving behind his cabin quickly as he caught up to Sonic without too much of a problem, growling as he tried to reach over to take the Chaos Emerald from the other. Sonic grinned as he jumped away and took off in a different direction, causing Shadow to growl and follow him.

Shadow could hardly believe that Sonic the hedgehog was keeping out of his reach, which was unusual since he could keep up with the other without too much of a problem. Now though his body felt as if it was losing its strength at a steady pace, especially as he got closer to Sonic himself. Now he was wondering how much longer he could keep up, let alone stay standing.

Shadow shook his head and put on another burst of speed, coming right up next to Sonic who grinned at him. "Bout time ya caught up Shads, I was wondering what was taking you so long." Sonic said but frowned as he saw perspiration on Shadow's face and slowed down instantly, allowing Shadow too to slow down. Only this seemed to cause the opposite affect that he thought would happen.

Shadow slowed down too quickly and soon was lying face down in the ground, sweat pouring out of him and his breathing rapid. Sonic's eyes widened and he went towards the other quickly, checking him over and realizing what was wrong in an instant.

The other's Chaos energy was dangerously low, causing Sonic to feel his eyes burn with tears and his heat beat faster. "Oh god, what have I done?" Sonic said as he threw Shadow over his shoulder and ran for Angel Island.

xLowOnEnergyx

He wasn't sure where he was, but he was sure that he hated it at the moment, wherever he was. He was incredibly uncomfortable on what felt like hard ground, not to mention that it was gritty and what felt like rocks were imbedding into his back as he lay on the ground.

He groaned and took a deep breath, allowing his lungs to fill in with air, already knowing that something was not right, with the way that his chest felt heavy or how he thought he felt something pushing down on his chest heavily. He gulped in more air as he slowly opened his eyes, light shining into his eyes as he squinted through it, looking into the figure towering over him.

"Oh thank god you're okay, I didn't think I got here in time." The voice said and Shadow's eyes relaxed at the sound of it, already he knew it, but he wasn't sure how he did. He smiled thinly as he felt what could only be Chaos Energy entering him before he slowly leaned up and kissed the figure towering over him gently.

The gasp of surprise made him pull back and made him pull back to look at the other closer than before. He knew those emerald eyes and the blue fur and quills really tipped him off to who it was he just kissed. Sonic stared at him in shock before he pulled his hand away from Shadow's chest, which had caused the pressure on his chest, and then the hand away from the Master Emerald. Shadow stared in confusion at the hand that had been lying on the Master Emerald, not sure why he had done that and why he hadn't turn green. His opposite, Scourge, had turned green after absorbing the energy from the Master Emerald, so why hadn't Sonic.

Shadow wasn't given much more time as Sonic quickly stood up and took off, the sound of a Sonic Boom resounding as he broke the sound barrier. "Wow, you really did it this time." Shadow blinked as he turned to the Guardian of the Master Emerald, Knuckles was smirking as he looked at Shadow. "You better go get him now or you'll never see him again, especially since you just kissed him. His. First. Kiss." With that Knuckles walked off, leaving behind a very confused hedgehog.

'That was Sonic's first kiss?' Shadow asked himself before he stood and took off, intent on catching a blue hedgehog, even if he had to tackle the hedgehog down and hog tie him if he had to. He wasn't about to lose Sonic now that he got him, even if Shadow hadn't meant to get him.

**Present Time: Shadow's and Sonic's Cottage**

They flashed into the cottage and Sonic had to blink as the left over residue of the Chaos Control disappeared and left them standing in the middle of the kitchen.

Where Shadow was now holding onto the table with a tight grip that was cracking it and the black hedgehog was growling fiercely as he seemed to try and control his anger. "Go put the child in our room for now, we need to talk." Shadow gritted out between his teeth before he let go of the table and walked towards the living room.

Sonic gulped as he realized that he was in deep trouble, more so than what he usually was with his lover. So with his ears tucked down and tail between his legs, he headed for the bedroom where he positioned two pillows around Lightning so the baby wouldn't roll off of the bed and then slowly and carefully entered the living room where Shadow was.

Sonic realized just how much trouble he was in when he saw Shadow sitting on the couch, hands clenched so tightly that the gloves that he was wearing were stretching and ripping slightly in his anger. It didn't matter that Shadow had defended him earlier from his siblings or Eggman, what mattered now was the fact that Shadow was angry, no furious or down right pissed off with him.

Sonic couldn't begrudge him though since Sonic himself had kept several things from his lover and now he was about to pay for it big time.

Sonic quietly moved towards one of the rocking chairs they had, a relic that Sonic had found at a store and had fallen in love with at first glance, especially since it was like the one his adoptive parents use to have back before Robotnik, aka Eggman, had turned them into robots. Sonic didn't dare rock in it though; he just folded his hands in his lap and waited for the explosion.

It took several minutes but it did finally happen when Shadow glared at the table in front of him and growled out towards Sonic. "You couldn't have told me you were part of Dr. Gerald's experiments? You couldn't have let me know that we were more alike than I had first thought?" Shadow growled out viciously, making Sonic flinch at the harshness in it.

Sonic gulped but he spoke up, knowing that if he was only silent then Shadow would go one forever. "What did you expect me to say Shadow? 'Oh yeah and Shadow, I just so happen to be one of the very first experiment that our father, Doctor Gerald, had ever made but I fail and so I was turned into another experiment called Boom. I hope you're not too mad.' Yeah that would've gone over really well." Sonic snarled at the end as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Shadow growled at the blue hedgehog, ignoring how the other look so beautiful in his anger fit. "I don't care but you should've told me somehow, sometime, not when you were just turning into Boom again!" Shadow yelled at the other.

Sonic glared at him and stood up. "Oh and how would you have taken that bit of information if I had just blurted it out? Would you still have loved me, would you still have let me move in with you, would you have let me help you on several of your G.U.N. Missions? Would you have still wanted me knowing that I was older than, that I knew all about Maria?" Sonic said as tears began to fall down his cheeks.

Shadow's glare faltered for a second at the tears, but then he got himself together again and glared at the other. "I would still have gone after you Sonic! Don't you get it; I fell in love with you because of you Sonic! I wouldn't have cared about the entire ARK past or how you even knew about Maria! That would've actually helped since you knew of her in a way!" Shadow said as he moved over to Sonic, grabbing him by his shoulders and shaking him slightly. "I don't care about that, all I care about is you Sonic, and for me to help you I need to know everything Sonic. Or do you not trust me any longer."

Sonic blinked in surprise at that as he looked at the other hedgehog, wondering if he really heard what he did. "Wha…" Sonic gulped down his fear as he stared at the other, "What did you just say?" Sonic asked to confirm what the other had said.

Shadow stared at Sonic with sad eyes as he too began to feel the burn of tears. "I asked if you trusted me anymore." Shadow said as he released Sonic and took a step back.

Sonic stared at the other in terror and his tears began to fall even faster and Sonic stepped back, almost falling back into the chair, though he was able to avoid it and continued backing away. "I…I…I've always…" Sonic trembled horribly as he tried to get out what he wanted to say, ignoring the piercing cry of a baby from their rooms as he began to walk away from Shadow. "I've always..trus-trusted you." Sonic said as he turned and ran to their bedroom, slamming the door behind him as he did.

Shadow was left in the room as he stared after Sonic, unsure of what to do. So with only so much left with him, he lay on the couch and decided he'd deal with it in the morning.

xTrustx

The morning came and Knuckles was wide awake, already guarding the Master Emerald, Rouge by his side. Both were leaning against the Emerald, Rouge more on Knuckles than the jewel she had been after so long ago. Neither was ready to move, especially after the events that had happened the other night, causing stress in both the bat and echidna.

Rouge was highly confused by what had happened, but after a long talk with Knuckles, she had understood and she sympathized with Sonic and his decision not to tell Shadow because she could understand fear. She sighed though as she had realized as soon as Knuckles had told her that Shadow would not take the information well. He would be angry, furious, and pissed all mixed into one.

She wasn't sure what she was going to do if he came to her.

You know what they say, 'Speak of the devil and he will show,' and this is a practical case of this.

Rouge blinked her eyes as she got rid of the residual light from a chaos control, staring at the black hedgehog that she had just been worried about seeing. "Crap." Rogue whispered as she stood up with Knuckles, who had his arms crossed and his eyes glaring heatedly at Shadow, as if it was all Shadow's fault for everything wrong in the world.

"Why have you come to my island Shadow?" Knuckles asked as he watched the Red striped hedgehog moved up the temple steps towards them, eyes shadowed as he kept his head bowed. "You should be home with Sonic after everything last night." Knuckles said, his grip on his arms tightening as his stomach tightened in worry.

Shadow stopped in front of Knuckles and finally looked up at him, crimson eyes watering as he looked at the echidna. "I don't think I can handle it right now." Shadow said as he turned and sat on one of the steps. "Sonic locked himself inside our room with the child anyways, I can't seem to force myself to bust in." Shadow said as he held his head in his hands.

Knuckles stared at Shadow in shock while Rogue got up and sat beside the black hedgehog, knowing just how he was feeling at the moment. "Shadow…" Rogue paused in what she wanted to say, not quite sure if she wanted to say it; she did eventually got her courage together and decided she needed to ask. "Shadow are you going to leave Sonic over this?"

This caused a reaction in both Knuckles and Shadow; Knuckles jumped at this and glared at Shadow with intense hatred, as if he had already left Sonic. Shadow stared at Rogue in disbelief, not quite sure how to answer except for a shake of his head.

Rogue smiled at this and nodded her head. "Well, that's good; I don't think Sonic would be able to survive if you did." Rogue said as she stood up and walked over to Knuckles again and grabbed one of his hands. "I know it seems he kept a really big secret from you, but what could he really say Shadow? What could he have said to make you believe him or to keep you from getting angry. Just be glad you have him now." Rogue advised as she began to drag Knuckles back towards the Master Emerald.

Knuckles though wasn't about to let Shadow get away without him knowing his own thoughts. "He's been like that for years." Knuckles started as he squeezed Rogue's hand to help keep him calm. "He has always been looking for Lightning, his other half, even though he knew he could malfunction before he could." Knuckles scoffed as he looked at the Ultimate Life Form. "Truthfully I expected him to die several years ago when he fell into the water."

Knuckles sighed as he looked at the distraught Shadow, crimson eyes watering at Knuckles as he took in the harsh information. He had no idea what he was supposed to do with what the Echidna was telling him, especially the fact that Sonic had almost died already.

"Don't take it the wrong way, but Sonic hated you when he first saw you, especially since he knew exactly who you were." This caused surprise to light up Shadow's eyes at this piece of information. "He knew you were the successful experiment of Dr. Gerald and that he was the failed one, which was why he had no problem hitting you with everything he had." Knuckles continued, knowing that Shadow needed to know this.

"But he found out that the long he stayed around, the longer he stayed stable." Knuckles started as he released Rogue's hand and looked at Shadow. "The more time he spent with you, the more time he didn't have to come here and recharge from the Master Emerald." Knuckles stated. "He could run around the world with you for as long as he wanted so he didn't have to return to Angel Island. Unfortunately he accidently drained you dry one day." Knuckles said as he looked at Shadow.

Shadow blinked at that, looking at Knuckles in confusion at this, not sure what he was talking about. Knuckles sighed as he realized that he would have to explain further as Shadow had no idea what he was talking about. "It happened two years ago, back when you had just gotten home from a G.U.N. mission and Rogue asked Sonic to check on you."

Shadow blinked as he realized he remembered that day, it was the day that he had first Sonic for the first time. It had taken him forever to catch the other hedgehog after Sonic had run away, but he still wasn't sure what had really happened that day since everything was a blur. "What happened?" Shadow whispered as he tried to remember.

Knuckles gave a small smile as he shook his head in wonderment. "Well, you collapsed from exhaustion, or more or less, you were low on Chaos Energy. Sonic had accidentally taken all of your Chaos Energy within your body, turning it into his own and allowing him to continue on. Unfortunately it had you on the ground about to die from the lack of energy, even if you could grab it from the surrounding environment; Sonic was just taking it faster."

Shadow stared at Knuckles in astonishment, mostly at the fact that Knuckles actually knew what he was talking about and the Echidna knew exactly what Shadow was thinking about when he smirked at the Ultimate Life Form. "I know, astonishing that I know what's going on." Knuckles said as he bowed slightly in a mocking way.

Shadow growled and glared at him as he stood up. "What happened after I passed out?" Shadow asked as he crossed his arms.

Knuckles chuckled as he moved towards the Chaos Emerald, back to Shadow, and laid a hand on it gently. Both Rogue and Shadow watched him curiously as he closed his eyes and summoned a bit of the Emerald's power, it was glowing around him as he did and he reached a hand towards Shadow. "Take my hand and I'll show you what happened." Knuckles said as he kept his eyes closed in concentration but held his hand out firmly.

Shadow wasn't quite sure if he should, but he curiosity got the best of him as he took the other's hand and he felt his eyes close of their own according. When his eyes closed he felt as if he had been taken to another place and opened his eyes, gasping at the scene in front of him.

_It was Knuckles leaning against the Emerald happily, hands behind his head as he relaxed slightly and was just calm. That was until a yell in the air made him jump almost sky high. "KNUCKLES! I NEED HELP!" _

_ Shadow turned with Knuckles and looked out towards the forest where they could see a blue blur heading straight for them. The Knuckles in the vision gasped as he noticed something on the others back, already knowing what had happened. "Sonic, hurry and get him over here! We don't have much time by the feel of it!" Knuckles yelled as he motioned for Sonic to put the other down as soon as he got there. _

_ "I don't know what happened Knuckles, we were racing because Shadow wanted his emerald back but then I felt something, a surge of some kind and he was on the ground! I don't know what happened, but I realized his Chaos Energy was way low and it's not getting any better!" Sonic said in a rush as he began to chew on the edge of his fingernail, his gloves back at Shadow's cottage. Shadow couldn't help but watch in fascination at the movement before he was jerked back towards his own defenseless and unmoving body._

_ Knuckles was leaned over him and nodded his head in confirmation to something he was thinking before he looked back up at Sonic. "When was the last time you recharged with the Master Emerald?" Knuckles asked as he watched his rival/friend._

_ The memory Sonic looked at him in confusion before he shrugged his shoulders and looked back towards Shadow worriedly. "I don't know, about a month or two, why?" Sonic asked at the end as he looked at the Echidna who was now looking grim._

_ "You haven't recharged and most likely dangerously depleted, so you took energy from the only other thing that you could that had the right amounts to keep you alive." Knuckles said as he turned back towards Sonic. "In other words you sucked everything that Shadow had and now he's too low on energy to survive." Knuckles said as he looked towards the Master Emerald. "If you recharge him though he should survive."_

_ Sonic nodded his head quickly as he moved into position, reaching a hand towards the Emerald and then one to Shadow, setting one on each. He quickly closed his eyes and began to concentrate, moving energy through his body always made him glow green until he was done and now was no different, only as he pushed the energy through his body and into Shadow, the energy was making Shadow glow as well._

_ Shadow watched in fascination as he was recharged with energy and then he woke up, kissing Sonic. He watched the surprised look on Sonic's face as he gasped and stood up quickly and ran away. Shadow soon taking after him._

He blinked and was back standing next to Knuckles who had released him, letting the residual energy from the Master Emerald to dissipate from his body. "Why couldn't you transfer energy into me?" Shadow asked as he looked at Knuckles with curious eyes.

Knuckles laughed as he turned and looked at Shadow. "I'm only the Guardian, allowed certain privileges like viewing the past, but I can't transfer into others. That would be Sonic because of his coding and programming. He was the only one who could save you." Knuckles said as he walked back over to a confused Rogue. "Come on Rogue, let's head to my rooms, I'm sure Shadow has somewhere else he needs to be." Knuckles said as he began to lead the other away, stopping only long enough to say something else to Shadow, "He truly loves Shadow, don't let this get between you just because you feel wronged. He did it to save you and keep from draining you of energy all the time."

With that said Knuckles led Rogue away, leaving behind Shadow who was now determined to go and talk with Sonic again and straighten things out.

xSaveYoux

Sonic smiled as he cleaned the laughing baby, Lightning splashing water in the sink as he played around, allowing Sonic to clean his quills carefully and to rinse him with warm water. "You are so full of energy today Lightning, is it because you aren't in a tube?" Sonic wondered out loud as he picked the baby up and wrapped him in a fluffy towel.

Lightning giggled as he grabbed hold of the towel, chewing on it lightly as Sonic dried him off and set him on the floor to look for something that could be used as a diaper. He eventually found a table cloth that he quickly cut up into smaller squares and then wrapped Lightning in one, safety pinning it together. "There we go, now I don't have to worry about a mess until I can get you diapers." Sonic said with a smile as he lifted the baby back into his arms and began to rock him.

Sonic could only hope that Lightning grew up as a regular Mobian; he didn't want the younger to be teased or hurt because of where his origins lay, even though Sonic himself was in the same boat, the blue blur was seen as a hero. Lightning laughed as he tugged on a stray quill hanging over Sonic's shoulder, pulling on it softly and getting Sonic's attention. "I need to get you something to play with." Sonic said as he gently pulled his razor sharp quill away from the baby.

"Don't you mean 'we' need to get him some toys?" Sonic blinked as he looked over his shoulder and saw Shadow leaning against the kitchen doorway, staring at him with shining crimson eyes.

Sonic gulped as he turned away from the other, wondering what he wanted. "Shadow, I didn't think you'd be home for a while." Sonic said as he looked down at the baby with sad eyes. Lightning quieted at the look and reached up a hand towards Sonic, wiping away a stray tear that had slipped.

Shadow frowned but then squared his shoulders and walked over to Sonic, turning him around quickly and pulling him towards his chest. Sonic gasped at the quick movements and Lightning complained slightly as he was squished between the two, but Sonic quickly nuzzled the white fur that lay on the other's chest.

"I mean it Sonic; we'll go together to get him some toys, a bed, diapers, formula, whatever we need to raise him properly." Shadow said as he held the other as tight as he could without hurting the baby. "I don't want to lose you just because you thought you were saving me."

Sonic couldn't believe what he was hearing, he was so happy to hear it too! He felt his eyes burn with tears and he knew that they would fall soon, but there wasn't much he could do because he was just so happy that Shadow didn't hate him anymore, that Shadow was willing to let it go because Sonic had only been trying to save him.

Lightning though was having enough of being stuck in the middle, being squished like a pillow being held by an over excited teen, so to fix his situation he did the only thing he could do.

Shadow yelped in surprise and pain as several strands of fur was tugged out of his patch of fur on his chest, he glared at the little baby that was now laughing at Shadow. Sonic couldn't really help it as he looked at the giggling baby and his relief over the whole situation. He laughed with the little baby.

Shadow smiled at the sound of Sonic's laugh, happy he could listen to it again and he finally too joined in the laughter as well. He knew that the family he had just started might be a little dysfunctional but he was oddly okay with that.

It probably wouldn't be as fun either way if it was any other way anyways. He would make sure he would always protect this family, no matter what.

Dr. Gerald had made him after all to be a protective shadow for Maria, but with Maria gone, he would be that protective shadow for Sonic and Lightning, his new family.

xOddFamilyx

A.N. Okay, I lied again, I have one more chapter but that'll be the epilogue of sorts, I'm sorry I keep lying but I have a reason for this, you'll find out when I put the next one up. Sorry again and please review!


	12. Surprise for Shadow

Chapter Twelve

Surprise for Shadow

**Five Years Past: Shadow's Cottage**

The two of them gulped as they looked at the door that belonged to their sibling, wondering if they should actually knock on the door or if they should just leave; neither really wanting to deal with the over protective Shadow that Sonic had roped onto his side. Sonia especially didn't want to deal with him since she was the one who had to deal with the most animosity from him, her attitude not having been forgiven since the incident a few weeks past.

Though both were contemplating on entering the house, neither was given a choice since a voice spoke from behind them. "Well, if it isn't my two dear siblings, what do I owe the honor of such fine normal specimens of Mobius?" The two heirs quickly snapped around and stared at Sonic, who was glaring menacingly, but the image was destroyed as he bounced baby Lightning on his hip to entertain him.

Neither of the royal siblings could keep the smile off their faces when they saw this, especially when they saw the baby bag hanging from Sonic's other shoulder. Sonia though was the first to return her gaze back to his brother's jaded emerald eyes that were staring at them with anger, but no hatred from what Sonia could see. "We came to talk to you Sonic; we've come to apologize really." She stated a little reluctantly since she hated being wrong most of the time.

Sonic had not been expecting this and almost dropped Lightning in surprise, but had caught him quickly and nodded at the two of the other hedgehogs. "Alright, come on in and I'll get Lightning settled for his nap; we'll talk then." Sonic said as he pulled out a key from the baby bag and put it into the door, unlocking it and opening it; his siblings followed him into the house.

It was only twenty minutes later that Sonic entered the living room where his siblings sat, both on the couch as they waited for Sonic. Both seemed very guilty and regretful, Sonic could only hope that it was what they had said and done the night he had gotten Lightning back to him, after they had tried to fuse to become Boom.

"Alright, what is it the two of you want?" Sonic asked as he sat down in Shadow's recliner chair, his hands clasped together and his eyes staring at the two seriously. "Why are you here now after what happened at Angel Island a week ago?"

The two royal siblings looked at Sonic and then looked away in guilt, neither were able to look Sonic in the eyes as they thought about what they were going to say. It was surprisingly Manic who spoke first, his eyes showing his regret and sincere apology to his brother. "Look Bro, I'm sorry. I know that this meant a lot to you, but I thought you were going to like, well, turn into the thing that we've fought against for so long." Manic said, his hands fiddling with each other.

Sonic nodded his head in his understanding. "You do know that I wouldn't have been a monster right? After all, I was created to be an Ultimate life form, or at least be able to help another person. I was created to do good and not bad." Sonic explained as he looked at his siblings.

Manic nodded his head softly as he looked at his brother. "I get it, but I didn't then and so I thought you were in danger of turning into a monster, something that would destroy everything and everyone. After all, I never bothered to ask you what it was like for you or what you knew, I only assumed." Manic said as he looked back at the ground.

Sonic sighed and nodded his head but quickly snapped his head towards Sonia as she stood up and realized that the girl was upset. Her fists were clenched and her eyes shadowed as she stood there, shaking softly in anger or fear, neither of the males knew. "How can you just sit there and just listen to us, especially after what we said? How can you just sit there and let us say what we want? You should be angry with us! You should hate us and be yelling at us! Not sitting here calmly and listening to us!" Sonia shouted as she stood there, tears dripping down her face.

Sonic and Manic both stared at her in surprise, wondering why they wouldn't expect this kind of reaction, but both remembered when they were younger and Sonia had held it over their heads that she had the education and the money and the connections. She never really admitted that she was wrong unless they had to put proof in front of her to admit it.

So now with tears falling down her face and her fist clench so tightly that her knuckles were most likely white underneath her gloves, Sonic was sure that she regretted what she said and hadn't expected Sonic to forgive them that easily. Sonic could only smile gently at his sister as he stood up and took her into his arms and gave her a bone crashing hug. "Sonia, it's alright, you know what you did and said was wrong, so I can't hold a grudge against you now." Sonic said and looked her in the eyes as he pushed her away slightly. "Especially since it is causing you so much pain."

Sonia stared at him incredulously before shaking her head. She just couldn't believe how forgiving Sonic could be and how he could just look at her like he had always looked at her when they were kids. He stared at her with the love of an older brother.

Sonic smiled as his eyes shut and he let her go, hands on his hops now as he looked at the other two. "Now that this is all taken care of, how about you two meet Lightning now. He's a sweet little thing and he's very curious about everything around him now, especially since I don't intend to activate his programming." Sonic said as he motioned for the two to follow him.

The two royals both followed Sonic easily, both still not quite believing that Sonic had forgiven them that easily. All of these thoughts disappeared though when they met the little baby that was sleepily rubbing at his eyes now as Sonic held him in his arms.

Lightning was a very beautiful baby, with short black quills that had yellow hinting here and there, white muzzle and white arms and hands and belly; kinda like how Sonic had peach muzzle and arms and belly. His little feet and hands were just like a baby's and the way he looked up at them with innocent curiosity with bright golden eyes just lured them in.

"He's beautiful Sonic, he's just perfect." Sonia said as she looked at the baby and was surprised when Sonic held him out to her. She hesitantly took him, but once the baby was in her arms she smiled at the giggle that escaped him. "He's just perfect."

Manic smiled at this and held his hand towards the infant and gasped when the little one grabbed one of his fingers and held onto them. "He's got a nice strong grip too bro! Maybe I can teach him how to play the drums when he's older."

Sonia scowled at her brother before replying, "No, he's going to play the piano and keyboard," She smirked and looked proud as she announced, "Just like me."

Manic scowled back as he shook his head. "No he's going to play the drums like me."

Sonia growled as she slowly handed the baby back to a chuckling Sonic as she faced her green furred brother. "No, he's playing the keyboard."

"Drums." Manic insisted.

"Keyboard." Sonia said with a growl.

"Drums."

"Keyboard."

"Drums."

"KEYBOARD."  
"DRUMS!"

"KEYBOARD!"

"DRUMS!"

This is what Shadow came home to, Sonia and Manic fighting over what instrument the baby would play when he was older while Sonic and Lightning just watched, Sonic in amusement and Lightning with innocent baby curiosity.

Shadow groaned as he glared at the two royal hedgehogs before he sent a Chaos Spear at them, glaring at them as they both stared at him in surprise. "Lightning will be playing the Guitar like me." Shadow finally said with a smirk.

The house was silent for several seconds before Manic and Sonia looked at each other and looked back at Shadow with smirks. Shadow stared at them in confusion before he was looking at the two hedgehogs up close. Sonia and Manic had moved to stand right in his face.

"DRUMS AND KEYBOARD!" They yelled together which caused Shadow to growl and Sonic to burst out laughing at the announcement of the two.

To say that dinner that night was interesting wouldn't do it justice.

xIntrumentsx

**Three years Past: Playground and Picnic Area of Mobotropolis**

All of the Sonic team where there, all laughing and talking together as they all gathered around a single picnic table that held a large birthday cake on it. The cake was decorated in yellow colors with large stars and suns on it, a figure of a flying horse on it and three yellow candles on top with the horse. The message on the cake read 'Happy birthday Lightning'!

Sonic and Shadow were on either side of the toddler that was bouncing up and down in excitement as he looked at the cake in impatience. "Don't worry Lightning, once we sing and you blow out the candles then you can have a piece." Sonic whispered into the little one's ear and Lightning nodded his head, his sapphire eyes glistening with excitement.

Sonic motioned to everyone to start singing and they did, all doing it in their own way of course. Some were high, some were low, some were just annoying. Sonic could laugh at Vector as he was horribly off key and Espio was trying to get him to shut up. Shadow looked like he was just about to shut him up himself if they didn't finish soon.

Once the song was over Lightning blew out the candles and Sonic quickly cut him a piece of cake before he could have a fit. Soon everyone had a piece of cake, but had to put their pieces down as soon as they tasted it. Amy was trying really hard not to spit hers out while Manic, Sonia, Knuckles, and Tails all choked on theirs, trying really hard not to let their faces scrunch. Vector was passed out on the ground and Espio was calmly eating his while Charmy was pouring honey on his by the pound. Cream and Cheese had politely set their piece aside while chugging some of the fruit punch, Aleena wasn't touching hers and just watched as everyone else choked while Rogue was on the ground laughing.

Shadow didn't even want a piece and Sonic had only taken some of the Chocolate Mint Ice Cream they had brought along, watching as the others reacted to the choice of cake their son had chosen. Shadow chuckled as he watched Knuckles finally get on his hands and knees, begging for water.

"What kind of cake is that!" Knuckles asked after he had chugged a good part of the punch, Sonic thankfully thinking about all the punch they brought along in anticipation of this reaction.

Shadow shrugged his shoulder as he looked at the bright yellow cake and Lightning who was already working on his third piece. "Well, Lightning has this liking for lemons and the sourer it is then the better it is for him. So we got it as sour as we possibly could without ruining the cake." Shadow explained as he watched Lightning take a drink of punch before returning to his cake.

Sonic could only smile as the guests all gaped at them and then at Lightning who was contently rubbing his stomach after finishing his fourth piece of cake. "I know what you guys are thinking, but what Lightning likes he normally will get it if it is reasonable and a sour cake sounded pretty reasonable to me." Sonic said as he gave a what-are-you-going-to-do-about-it gesture.

"That kid is insane." Sonia muttered as she crossed her arms, sipping at her sweet punch now as she looked at all the presents that Lightning had gotten this year. It had ranged from the new gloves, new high tech shoes, a skateboard, a toy gun, an airsoft gun with the pellets, and finally a drum set.

Sonic had glared at Shadow when Lightning had unwrapped the airsoft gun and had swiftly confiscated it and told the boy he could have it back when he was old and had proceeded to scold Shadow over that. Shadow had looked efficiently sorry, but had said he didn't regret it since he intended to teach the boy to shoot a real gun later in life.

Sonic could only rub at his eyes at this, but nodded his head either way, saying they would talk this over when he believed it was okay for Lightning to learn.

Espio, Vector, and Charmy all volunteered to teach Lightning to be able to use the skateboard, but Sonic had decided to have Manic teach him instead while the green hedgehog also taught him about the drums.

It had been about a year ago that Sonic had finally gotten annoyed with his siblings and Shadow fighting over what instrument Lightning would play by saying that each year for his birthday, starting at three; they would buy him one of the instruments and would teach him that instrument that year. They had all agreed to allow Manic to start first since the drums were actually one of the harder instruments to learn about.

Lightning had received the gloves from Knuckles and the gloves themselves were fingerless and a dark brown color, Lightning had fallen in love with the gloves instantly and had put them on, he had yet to actually get any gloves yet since his hands were hard to fit since they were small. Knuckles had simply shrugged and said, "This way he doesn't have to worry about the finger parts fitting, just the palm part and these will grow with him. I made them from a special silk from one of the spiders make on my island."

Amy got him shoes that would light up at the bottom and were specially made to withstand any child's rough play. They were a black with yellow racing strips up the side with stars at the back of the shoe and on the top of it. "Every good kid needs a good pair of shoes that will be able to hold up to anything." Amy said to the kid and ruffled his quills gently.

Rogue had given the child a necklace that held a yellow stone in the middle and then surrounded with little black beads that made it stand out. "I found it out on one of my trips; I had it inspected when I got back and found out that it's called a lightning stone because lightning actually hit it and the power got stuck inside, changing the color of the stone originally. It is incredibly rare and holds special powers, but when I saw it, I instantly thought of you little one." With the Rogue gave the kid a kiss on the cheek which made everyone laugh as Lightning complained that girls had coodies and that he was now infected.

Tails had given the boy a set of new building blocks that had to be set a certain way and they would combine and change into an actual castle or car or whatever the toddler wanted. "I made it with special technology that I've been working on. It'll change anything that you build into the actual object, just in that size. Any gun you make though will only be a toy and will not really kill anyone either." Tails had added that last part for Sonic so the effeminate male wouldn't worry about the boy.

Aleena gave the boy a talisman that would protect him from any harm. It was in the shape of a star and held a symbol in the middle of it; it was painted a bright yellow and could hang around his neck very loosely. "It will keep you safe from any danger and will also signal to your parents that you are in trouble. So no matter what you will always have their help if you get in over your head." Aleena had given the boy a hug and then stepped back as Sonic and Shadow stepped up towards him.

Sonic was wearing a smile while Shadow had a stern look on his face as he handed the boy a small box that was wrapped in yellow wrapping paper. "This is from me and your mom." Shadow said as he watched the child look at it in excitement as he opened it.

Lightning was always excited when he got something from his parents; it always meant something fun, educational, and useful in everyday life. So when he opened the box to find a watch with a yellow face and band inside, he squealed with excitement, his sapphire eyes switching to a dull crimson as he strapped it on correctly. "What does it do?" Lightning asked as his bright intelligent eyes looked up at the man he considered his father.

Shadow smiled at his son as he kneeled down in front of him and gently grabbed the hand that was attached to the wrist with the watch. "This watch will tell you the time like normal," Shadow started as he pointed out the setting that said it was 3:55 PM, "but it will also show you a small map of the world," Here Shadow hit a button and a small globe that glowed yellow appeared. Everyone, minus Shadow and Sonic, gasped in surprise and Lightning looked at it awe. "That isn't all though," The red striped hedgehog said as he hit another button and a screen appeared, "This will also allow you to get in contact with me and you mother." Shadow said as he showed a similar watch that was with a red band while Sonic showed one with a blue band.

Lightning looked at his watch in amazement, especially when Sonic's smiling face showed up on it and gave him a wink before disappearing. "This watch will allow you to keep a track of us while we can keep an eye on you." Sonic said as he hit the button to return the watch back into a watch and then engulfed his son into his arms. "Happy Birthday Lightning."

Lightning smiled into his mother's arms and hugged him back, "Thank you Mommy, and thank your Daddy." Lightning said as he held tightly to his parents.

Lightning would for a very long time believe that his third birthday would be the best one he had ever.

xThankYoux

**Present: Sonic Boom Club**

Five years had passed since his attempt to rejoin with Lightning and create Boom, to become powerful and faster than what he was alone. To say that he was ecstatic now that he had failed so long ago today would be an understatement.

He was so happy now, proud, and just plain joyful at what his life had given him lately, even if he was now mistaken as a girl more often than not now.

He and Shadow had gotten married as soon as Sonic had turned nineteen in this life, but if you counted the time he spent with Gerald he would be seventy nine and Shadow would be sixty nine. They went with the time he'd been awake on Mobius though so nineteen it was while Shadow was still sixty nine. They had also adopted Lightning when he was five and understood what was happening.

Sonic was also ecstatic since Rogue and Knuckles were engaged to get married that winter, especially since their child would be there in the spring. Rogue was ecstatic and Knuckles was nervous about the child, unsure if he would be a good parent.

Tails had finally asked Crème out now that they were thirteen years old and they were steady at this time. The Chaotix Team was the same as ever though and were constantly bugging Tails to help them with technology or for Knuckles to help out on a case. No one really got a break from them.

Sonic himself had taken to doing nightly work at the Sonic Boom while Shadow continued working at G.U.N. and both would bring in an income to continue sending Lightning to the special school for geniuses.

That was right, Lightning's original programming to gather as much information as he could was still running, even if all the programming would stay shut down for the rest of his life. Lightning was incredibly intelligent for a five year old, already to have an intelligent conversation with anyone who wanted to speak with him. Though if he had a choice between reading a book and playing with his parents, Lightning would choose to play and leave the book for later.

Lightning had also learned how to play the drums, keyboard, and guitar like the three insistent hedgehogs wanted. In other words Sonia, Manic, and Shadow all got what they wanted and while Sonic gave his son the chance to escape and do other things and try different things. Lightning had found his love for Soccer and even though he hadn't inherited Shadow's and Sonic's speed, he was still faster than the other kids and was excellent at getting goals. He also like to listen to Sonic sing all the time, begging at times to get his mother to sing to him and Sonic would normally oblige just because he loved to sing to Lightning as much as Lightning loved listening to him; Sonic had taken to teaching Lightning to sing after this as well.

Though today was different and Sonic wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do now, especially since his news affected Lightning and Shadow respectfully and in different ways. He wasn't sure how Lightning would take it, but he was sure that the black and yellow hedgehog would be able to handle it quite well, especially since he was still a toddler and accepted just about anything.

Shadow was a different story all together and Sonic was worried about his reaction the most. He knew that this new perspective might just scare Shadow and even cause him to hide away for several days, but he was unsure of how the other would really like it.

Sonic sighed as he sipped at his soda, looking down at the bar and wondering why he was there again, especially since he had just gotten back from the doctors, or more like Eggman, who had taken over being his regular doctor since he was the only one who really knew about Sonic's body and the workings of it. Shadow had fought against it at first but had relented after Sonic and him had talked it over.

The music in the club was coming from the speakers at the moment, meaning that it was being played from a CD in the control room, Sonic wondering why a DJ wasn't up at the discs and controls where everyone could them at the moment. He decided that maybe a band had stepped up and decided to sing today and let it go, his mind going over towards where Shadow was since it was the black hedgehog that wanted him to come today.

Sonic thought about how Rogue was doing with Lightning, the bat offering to baby sit the child while he went out to meet Shadow. She looked ecstatic at the chance to play with Lightning, especially since she had told him that it would give her practice at taking care of her own child that was coming on the way.

That was about the time the lights dimmed down and the current song began to end. Everyone quieted, unsure of what was going on, but everyone turned towards the stage as the lights all shined over there towards the people on stage.

Sonic's eyes widened as he saw who it was there, almost not believing who it was since they had been fighting again earlier that morning over something.

Shadow was the first to catch his eyes and the black hedgehog was holding a black electric guitar that now held red quills on it like Sonic's blue one did and held red strips along the handle and base of the guitar. He had the normal head mic in place and was smirking at Sonic as his black fingerless gloved hands began to strum a beat on the guitar and the vest hugged his chest slightly, though his white chest fur still peeked out.

The second was Sonia who stood next to her keyboard, her hair braided down her back and a simple red tank top and blue jeans covered her body while red tennis shoes covered her feet and a purple vest finishing off the look. She had her black fingerless gloves on the keys and was smiling out at the crowd.

The third was Knuckles who held a red guitar in his own hands and his head mic, grinning viciously at the crowd in his excitement and scaring more than half of them. His own quills though were tied up in a ponytail as he wore a black vest as well and black sunglasses covered his bright violet eyes, and finally black fingerless gloves replaced his normal white ones with the spikes on them.

The final person was at his favorite set of orange drums spinning the drumsticks in his hands easily. Manic was grinning as he wore his own set of black sunglasses, his normal orange vest replaced with a black one with an orange stripe in the middle, his earrings shinning from his ears and black fingerless gloves on his hands. His spikes were normal, but the smile he had could've said a million words.

Sonic couldn't believe what he was seeing and how the group was dressed, he just couldn't believe that they were doing this in the first place. He wondered how much fighting it took to be able to agree on such a theme of clothes.

The song began as Shadow stopped strumming his guitar and instead Sonia began to play her keyboard with a slightly dark and ominous sound.

Then she left off and Manic and Knuckles and Shadow took over.

_Take a look at my life, all black_

_Take a look at my clothes, all black_

_Like Johnny Cash, all black_

_Like the Rolling Stones wanna paint it black_

Sonic was smiling as he listened to the song and agreed that it actually suit the group slightly, even though the only real black on was Shadow, but the way they acted could be counted just as dark as the color of fur.

_Like the night that we met, all black_

_Like the color of your dress, all black_

_Like the seats in my Cadillac_

_I used to see red now it's just all black_

Sonic remembered that it was indeed at night that he first met Shadow again, when he was being framed for the attacks and robberies in town, but it was in the morning that he met Shadow as Boom. Back then Sonic's fur, or Boom's fur, was black.

_As long as I could remember I dreamed in black and white_

_As I grew up and the sun went down I never felt more alright_

_My mother she used to tell me, "Son you better get to church_

_It's a dark dark world and there's evil out there_

_And you know it's only getting worse"_

Sonic stayed sitting at the bar, not actually wanting to get up and dance this time around, especially since he was already tired and wanted his bed, especially after that morning of honoring the porcelain god.

_Yeah, I never been much for weddings or anniversaries_

_But I go to a funeral if I'm invited any day of the week_

_Some people say that I sound strange, some say that I'm not right_

_But I find beauty in this world every single night_

_Take a look at my life, all black_

_Take a look at my clothes, all black_

_Like Johnny Cash, all black_

_Like the Rolling Stones wanna paint it black_

Shadow was strumming his guitar as he sang and Knuckles was doing spins and flips as he played as well, Sonia wasn't really doing much, but she was dancing behind her keyboard and encouraging the crowd the dance as well as she did handstands, hand springs, and back flips to get them excited. Manic was busy playing his drums and flipping his drumsticks at the same time and just enjoying his time behind his favorite instrument.

_Like the night that we met, all black_

_Like the color of your dress, all black_

_Like the seats in my Cadillac_

_I used to see red now it's just all black_

_I sat down at her table at the end of the night_

_She was having black coffee and a cigarette_

_She wasn't wearing white_

Sonic smiled as he remembered his first date with Shadow, which turned into an all-out race between them around the world, where Shadow had to save him because he had fallen into the ocean trying to stop at the finish line. Sonic had never raced that close to the ocean again.

_She said, "People tell me that I'm strange they say that I'm not right"_

_She said, "The only time I feel alive is in the dead of night"_

_I think I found the one for me_

It was indeed during that same date that Sonic had decided that he wasn't letting Shadow go no matter what. He wanted Shadow to be his and only his in such a way and so Sonic had accepted the second, third, fourth, and every other date afterwards and eventually moved in with the black hedgehog.

_Take a look at my life, all black_

_Take a look at my clothes, all black_

_Like Johnny Cash, all black_

_Like the Rolling Stones wanna paint it black_

_Like the night that we met, all black_

_Like the color of your dress, all black_

_Like the seats in my Cadillac_

_I used to see red now it's just all black_

Sonic continued to sip at his soda as he watched his lover play with his best friend and siblings, wondering if his life could get any better. That's when he blinked and remembered the news he had.

_I remember feeling so alive_

_The night I looked into her eyes_

Sonic couldn't help but blush at the look that Shadow gave him at that and looked at his soda again in embarrassment. As soon as Sonic looked away Knuckles gave Shadow a wicked grin that Shadow returned with a smug smirk.

_Take a look at my life, all black_

_Take a look at my clothes, all black_

_Like Johnny Cash, all black_

_Like the Rolling Stones wanna paint it black_

_Like the night that we met, all black_

_Like the color of your dress, all black_

_Like the seats in my Cadillac_

_I used to see red, I used to see red_

Sonic startled as he heard Sonia's voice sing just behind Shadows as they seemed to sing the last few lines of the song and Sonic could help but shiver at Shadow's deep voice.

_Take a look at my life, all black_

_Take a look at my life, all black_

_Take a look at my life, all black_

_All black, all black_

_Take a look at my life, all black_

_Take a look at my life, all black_

_Take a look at my life, all black_

_All black, all black, all black_

_All black, all black_

Sonic smiled as the song ended with Sonia playing at his keyboard again with those creepy and ominous sounds, but he stood up anyways as Shadow made his way towards Sonic with his own smirk on his lips. "That was great Shadow, you guys were awesome." Sonic said as he wrapped his arms around Shadow's neck and give him a quick kiss.

Shadow's smirk settled into a small smile for Sonic as he wrapped his arms around the blue blur's waist and accepted the kiss. "Thanks Sonikku, it was fun playing with them surprisingly." Shadow said as he began to lead Sonic towards the others, but he frowned when Sonic stopped him with a hand on his arm and a nervous look on his face. "What's wrong Sonic, did something happen?" Shadow asked with worry clear in his eyes.

Sonic sighed as he faced Shadow fully and looked him in the eye, that's when Shadow noticed the changes to Sonic's body once again. His fur was a dark navy and his body seemed to curve more femininely and his emerald eyes shined even brighter as the shape seemed to curve even more. "Sonic, you changed again, what's going on?" Shadow asked as his worry began to rise and he began to panic softly. "It's not something bad is it, you're not going to disappear again are you?"

Sonic chuckled softly and shook his head. "No Shadow, nothing like that, calm down, nothing bad, nothing like that really." Sonic said as he looked at his husband. "I actually hope you see it as good news." Sonic said as he began to chew on his lip again.

Shadow sighed in relief, happy to know that it wasn't something terrible like Sonic dying or Sonic disappearing from the face of the planet. "Alright then, tell me, I'm sure I can handle it." Shadow said as he smiled at Sonic and wrapped his arms back around Sonic's waist and stared at him lovingly.

Sonic nodded and laid his head against Shadow's chest and nuzzled the white fur there before muttering something. Shadow frown as he tried to hear what the other said, but he couldn't make it out. "Sonic, I couldn't hear you, you'll have to speak up."

Sonic sighed and pulled away slightly so he could speak up more and looked Shadow in the eye and with a firm resolve.

"Shadow, I'm pregnant."

Shadow stared at Sonic in surprise for several moments before he nodded, his eyes rolled up into his head and the Ultimate Life Form officially fainted.

THE END

A.N. Well, that's it for this one, the First Experiment and I do plan on a sequel but it'll be a while before I actually start on that one, sorry. I hope you enjoyed this one though.

**Song: All Black- Good Charlotte.**


	13. Author's Note

Author's Note

"Alright, I know many of you believed that I would do a sequel for this story. Well, I'm sorry to say that no I am not. That plotline I had come up with just isn't sitting well with me anymore and I've decided that I will not do a sequel in the end. But hey, if any of you want to do a sequel for this story than go for it. I don't mind, just as long as you PM me and tell me that you are and that I can read it. That's all."  
"Sorry again but I just can't do it."


End file.
